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Live Updates: Middle East on edge as Iran attack on Israel seems imminent

Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Aug 5, 2024
A member of the Iranian armed forces conducts an army orchestra as a truck carries a missile during a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 17, 2024.
A member of the Iranian armed forces conducts an army orchestra as a truck carries a missile during a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 17, 2024.

Diplomatic pressure intensified Monday in an effort to avoid further escalation between Iran and Israel following the recent killings of top-ranking Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack in Tehran on July 31 while he was visiting the Iranian capital for President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration. The attack was widely attributed to Israel.

Less than 24 hours prior, Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Shukr was believed to be the head of the group’s military operations and the second in command.  

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged "a hard and painful" response following Haniyeh’s killing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Sunday that his country was "determined to stand against" Iran and its allied armed groups "on all fronts."