Why Is Iran Expected to Attack Israel? What to Know About the Crisis.

Less than a week after the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran and a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut, the entire Middle East is on edge. Fears of a broader regional war have been mounting amid vows of revenge from Iranian leaders that have left Israel in a state of deep uncertainty.

Why is an Iranian attack expected?

Iran has vowed to avenge the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader who was killed in Tehran after he and other leaders of Iranian-backed militant groups attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president. Israeli leaders would not confirm or deny whether their country was behind the breach of Iran’s defenses, but Iranian leaders and Hamas officials immediately blamed Israel and vowed retaliation.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order.

And Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaan, said on Monday that “Tehran is not interested in escalating the regional conflicts, but it is necessary to punish” Israel.

How is Lebanon connected to the crisis?

The killing of Mr. Haniyeh came just days after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top-ranking commander of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon. That killing raised tensions that were already running high between Israel and Iran and its proxies in the region. The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said last week that its conflict with Israel had entered a new phase and threatened a major retaliation in response to the assassination.

Hezbollah has been engaged in tit-for-tat attacks with Israel for months, raising fears that the region was teetering toward a wider war. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets and drones at Israel, saying it was acting in solidarity with Hamas, which is also backed by Iran. Israel has retaliated and evacuated tens of thousands of its citizens in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.