Middle East on boil as Hezbollah strikes Israel, Biden asks Iran to ‘stand down’

NEW DELHI : Hezbollah on Saturday said it launched dozens of rockets at Israel as tensions in the Middle East soared with Iran and its allies reading their response to the killing of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week. Amid fears of a regional war, US President Joe Biden hoped that Iran would “stand down” despite its threats to attack Israel.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, said its rocket attacks on Moshav Beit Hillel in Israel injured civilians there, The Times of Israel reported. It also said it was a retaliatory attack to Israel’s strikes on Kfar Kela and Deir Siriane in Lebanon and after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander from Hezbollah.

Three US and Israeli officials said they had expected Iran to attack Israel as early as Monday, according to an Axios report.