U.S. Official: Iran Will Face Serious Consequences if It Attacks Israel

A senior U.S. administration official warned Iran of facing "serious" consequences if it decides to attack Israel, adding that this would represent an escalation that would undermine any hopes for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Regional tensions escalated following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, in Tehran, a day after an Israeli raid in Beirut that killed Fouad Chek, a senior military leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Meanwhile, Israel has agreed to resume talks over a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on August 15, at the request of mediation countries Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday. Netanyahu's office stated: "Following the proposal from the United States and the mediators, Israel will send a delegation of negotiators to the location to be agreed upon on August 15 to finalize the details of the agreement."