A cautious calm settled over Israel on Saturday as it prepares for an Iranian response to the assassination of prominent figures from Hamas and Hezbollah, amid rising fears that hostilities could escalate into a wider regional war. Israelis are already exhausted after ten months of fighting in Gaza following Hamas's "Aqsa Flood" operation on October 7, which targeted Israeli settlements and attacks on other fronts, according to the New York Times.
The latest threats from Iran and Hezbollah in response to the assassination of Hamas's political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr after an Israeli raid in Beirut's southern suburb, added another layer of uncertainty to the ongoing anxiety about war. Israeli officials have urged residents to stock up on food and water in fortified safe rooms. Emergency responders conducted training drills in preparation for the potential outbreak of large-scale war. Medical centers in northern Israel have also prepared for the possibility of needing to transfer patients to protected underground wings.
