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Hizbollah has sought to draw a line under its worst exchange of fire with Israel for nearly two decades, as the region remains on edge.
An uneasy calm held between Israel and Hizbollah on Monday, after the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Lebanese people who had fled their homes in fear of a wider war could return, “take a breath and relax”.
In his comments on Sunday night, Nasrallah described Hizbollah’s attacks on Israel as adequate retaliation for the assassination last month of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander in the group.
But the region is also awaiting retaliation by Iran for the killing soon after of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran — which the Islamic Republic blames on Israel.
The Iranian government said on Monday that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani the previous day in a phone call that Iran’s response to the Haniyeh’s killing would be “certain, precise and calculated”.
It added that “Araghchi emphasised that, unlike the Zionist regime [Israel], the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek to escalate tensions, although it is not afraid of them.”
Since taking office last week Araghchi has also spoken to foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UK, France, and Germany, while emphasising that Iran’s option to retaliate remains on the table.
The US sent more warships to the region on Sunday in an effort to rein in Iran’s response, while European diplomats have urged Tehran to show restraint.
But in Israel, the presumed thwarting of a huge attack by Hizbollah on what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “strategic target” in the centre of the country has led to demands that the Israeli premier authorise more aggressive assaults on the Lebanese group.
Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff and prominent Netanyahu rival, said the Israel Defense Forces needed to shift from “response to initiative”.
Sunday’s exchange of fire began with what Israel described as a pre-emptive strike by more than 100 fighter jets on at least 40 Hizbollah missile and rocket launching sites.
It was followed by a barrage of 340 Hizbollah rockets and a large number of drones aimed at 11 Israeli military sites, the Iran-backed militia claimed.
Casualties on both sides were limited, helping stave off an immediate escalation. One Israeli soldier was killed — by debris from Israeli missile interceptors, according to the country’s ambassador to the US — and two wounded. Three people, all presumed to be militants, were killed in Lebanon.
But at least 70,000 Israeli residents near the border with Lebanon remain displaced 10 months after war erupted with Hamas in the south, with Hizbollah joining in to intensify pressure on Israel’s military.
The US and regional powers maintain that successful talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage return would also lower tensions between Israel and Iran as well as Tehran-backed militias such as Hizbollah.
At present the talks in Cairo appear stalled. Hamas said on Sunday night that its delegation had left the Egyptian capital, rejecting a series of changes made to a July 2 US-backed proposal.
“Hamas confirms its readiness to implement what has been agreed on — a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the Gaza Strip, the freedom of return of residents [to their homes] and a serious exchange deal,” it said.
Senior Israeli and Qatari officials also departed Cairo, leaving behind “working groups” to continue discussions, a person briefed on talks said.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel will maintain a military presence along Gaza’s border with Egypt, a condition Hamas has rejected.
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