Middle East Israel-Iran on the verge of war, US increases troops: 10 points

1. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Israel’s attack on a crowded residential area in south Beirut had changed the calculus. “We expect Hezbollah to select more targets in its response and deepen (the attack),” the mission said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. “Secondly, that it will not limit its response to military targets.”
2. The attack on Tuesday killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shuqra. Five civilians – three women and two children – were also killed, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
3. Israel said Shukar was responsible for a rocket attack that killed 12 young men in the Golan Heights, and had directed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since the Gaza war began.
4. Iran’s mission said “Hezbollah and the (Israeli) regime had observed certain limits”, including limiting attacks to border areas and military targets. It said the attack in Beirut exceeded that limit.
5. Hours after Shukr’s killing, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an early morning “attack” on his residence in Tehran. Israel has declined to comment.
6. The Pentagon said the United States would boost its military presence in the Middle East and deploy additional warships and fighter jets to the region to “minimize the potential for Iran or its allies to escalate regional tensions.”
7. Indian citizens in Israel have been asked to remain vigilant and follow security protocols following the escalation of tensions in the region. This advice for Indian citizens in Israel comes a day after the Indian Embassy in Beirut strictly advised them not to travel to Lebanon until further notice. Also, they have been asked to leave Lebanon.
8. The leader of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also vowed a “military response” to Ismail’s killing. “There must be a military response to these crimes, which are brazen and dangerous, and represent a major escalation by the Israeli enemy,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
9. Yemeni rebels have been firing drones and missiles at ships in the Red Sea since November, saying they are showing solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
10. At least 542 people, mostly fighters but also 114 civilians, have been killed on the Lebanese side in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since October last year, according to news agency AFP.

With inputs from AFP