The Iraqis, Arabs, and the region in general spent last night amid preparations and indications of a "Third World War," only to wake up to a deafening calm, raising questions about what exactly happened in the hours prior. As the clock neared midnight, numerous signals from inside Iran suggested the possibility of the arrival of the "promised day," the revenge anticipated by the world that Iran and the Axis of Resistance had vowed against Israel.
Late at night, Iranian television halted its regular programming and began broadcasting military anthems, with the third channel hinting at significant upcoming events. A presenter on the Iranian third channel stated, "In the coming hours, the world will witness extraordinary scenes and crucial developments."
On the other hand, Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi, whose father was a health minister and a member of parliament, posted a picture of a missile on his Twitter account with the caption "They should leave, it's coming."
Amid these indicators, everyone thought major events would occur within hours and that an Iranian response and revenge were imminent, so much so that the hashtag "Third World War" dominated social media within a very short period. However, nothing happened as anticipated in the end.
With the "criticisms" directed at the idea of spreading information before an actual response, as happened previously, which gives Israel a chance to take precautions, three possibilities and questions arise regarding the dissemination of these hints and the subsequent lack of action.
First: The hints began as part of actual preparations for a response to increase anxiety and psychological warfare against Israel, indicating that the upcoming hours would witness something does not mean actual hours, but rather days or weeks.
Second: The Iranian side was indeed preparing to respond, but the leak of information about the impending response may have forced Iran to cancel the operation at the last moment due to a loss of the element of surprise.
Third: The Iranian side may have deliberately employed this tactic, possibly to be repeated often, to confuse the Israeli side, leading them to wonder which of the warning times will be real and followed by an actual response.
Foreign reports suggest that the anticipated Iranian response to Israel may occur on "Tisha B'Av," a sacred day for Jews, known as the Day of the Destruction of the Temple in Jewish history, which falls on the 9th of Av/August, a day of fasting for the Jewish people.
