HMM: What Is Really Going on in Iran While Israel Braces for Retaliation?

Compared to previous incidents, “Iran and Hezbollah are more willing today to take the risk of escalation,” Zimmt said, “even if it means dragging themselves into a full scale confrontation.”

Still, he said, Iran’s leadership is torn on what the response should be. He compares the more pragmatic approach that doesn’t necessarily oppose military retaliation against Israel but doesn’t want to cause a full-scale regional war, with the hardliners, represented by the Revolutionary Guards, calling for a severe and direct attack.

“My sense is that right now, mainly due to the fact that [Iranian President Masoud] Pezeshkian is new, inexperienced and has not yet come up with this new administration, the position of the power of the more hardliners in Iran, seems to be higher, and therefore, I think we will see that in Iran’s upcoming retaliation against Israel.”

I guess we’ll have an answer all too soon.