Iran and Israel: is all-out war inevitable?

Tehran has vowed revenge for assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, but Gaza ceasefire could offer way out

Iranians take part in a funeral procession for late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, ahead of his burial in Qatar
The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in a rocket strike in Tehran just hours after Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukur in Beirut
(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Since Hamas invaded southern Israel on 7 October last year, the threat of a wider regional war has been "ever-present", said The Daily Telegraph

Now, it appears, it may be upon us. Israeli, US and European intelligence sources all warned this week that Iran was preparing to launch a strike against Israel in reprisal for the recent assassinations of senior leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, its allies in Lebanon and Gaza. Such an escalation could spark a conflagration in the region. 

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