Iran, Israel in 'war of nerves' as US applies pressure to reach Gaza deal
The Biden administration is working both fronts simultaneously by pressuring the sides to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza and limiting the expected attack on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah.
TEL AVIV — Israelis spent another restless night on Monday, convinced this would finally be the night that Iran and Hezbollah would choose to unleash their threatened reprisals for the July 31 assassinations of the two senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials.
The assessment stemmed from the significance of the date: Aug. 12 ushered in one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar — Tisha B’Av — marking the destruction of two Jerusalem temples that symbolized Jewish sovereignty in ancient times.
But Aug. 13 dawned bright and hot, without a sign of the missile and drone barrages Israelis have been nervously expecting for almost two weeks. Observant Israeli Jews fasted and prayed, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continued to move missile batteries and taunt Israel — for example, by posting an image showing a pair of hands caressing a missile — and Hezbollah sent signals that it's increasing its readiness for an attack.
War of nerves
