Middle East, US “irritated” and “indignant” with Israel. Anxiety over Iranian attack –

Anticipation and concern over Iran’s announced attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Jewish state has informed the United States that it was behind the assassination, the Washington Post reports, citing sources familiar with the White House. According to the US newspaper, Biden administration officials have expressed anger at the decision to eliminate Haniyeh, fearing that it could jeopardize months of careful negotiations for a truce in the Gaza Strip, and have also expressed outrage that Israel did not inform them before launching other operations to assassinate Hezbollah leaders or Iranian commanders.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his most direct address yet to US ally Israel, told Tehran and Tel Aviv that both should avoid escalating the conflict in the Middle East. “No one should escalate this conflict. We have been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We have communicated that message directly to Israel,” Blinken told reporters. “Our commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering. We will continue to defend Israel from attacks by terrorist groups or their sponsors, just as we will continue to defend our own troops,” Blinken added. “But everyone in the region should understand that further attacks will only perpetuate conflict, instability and insecurity for everyone,” he stressed after talks with Australian foreign and defense ministers at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The United States, he assured, is working “intensely to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and prevent the spread of conflict. Further attacks only increase the risk of dangerous outcomes that no one can predict and no one can fully control,” Blinken said.

As Israeli jets fly low over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterates that the Shiite group, along with Iran and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, will “respond” to Israel’s latest targeted assassinations, which are “afraid” of what may happen. Nasrallah does not mention the timing, as “Israel’s wait is part of the punishment, the response and the battle, which is also psychological.” He continued, the response could be “alone” by Hezbollah, to avenge the death of military commander Fuad Shukr, or “collective by the entire front.”