Iran, Israel in 'war of nerves' as US applies pressure to reach Gaza deal

Analysis

Ben Caspit

Aug 13, 2024

rocket fire — Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Aug. 9, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. — JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

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