Israel and Iran Threatening One Another

First up, per Newsweek, "Israeli Official Threatens to Wipe Iran, Lebanon Off the Face of the Earth."

    Israel's Minister of Economy Nir Barkat issued an ominous threat to Iran and Lebanon in an interview published on Saturday, saying his country would "wipe" them "off the face of the Earth" if Hezbollah opens up a northern front in the Hamas war.

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    Barkat, in an interview with the Daily Mail, warned that Israel would view an escalation in Hezbollah's actions as an attack by Iran.

    "The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts. If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran," he said.

    Barkat threatened "we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front."

    "Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough," he said. "The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide."

    Barkat continued: "Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what's happening in Gaza—you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth."

The article goes on to relate that Hezbollah is eager to attack Israel, but the Lebanese, overall, do not support a war whatever sympathies they may have for the Palestinians. But, it concludes:

    Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday described the Middle East's current situation as a "powder keg," warning that any Israeli "miscalculation" will have "heavy and bitter consequences" for the region, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

    "If the U.S. and the Israeli regime do not stop their crimes against humanity immediately, there will be a possibility of anything at any moment and the region may spin out of control," he said.

    Firas Maksad, a senior fellow and director of strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute, told Newsweek on Friday that currently the tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have remained relatively contained.

    "The challenge for the U.S. administration is that Iran prefers amorphous grey-zone warfare, using various militias across the region to strike at the U.S. and Israel rather than doing so directly. Iran's direct involvement remains very unlikely, unless its mainland comes under attack," he said.

    Next, from the Daily Mail: "Iran's chilling warning: Regime says conflict with Hamas could spiral into 'out of control' Middle East conflict if Israel don't 'immediately' ceasefire - as IDF pound Gaza, the West Bank and Syria and vow to attack Tehran if Hezbollah enters war."

    Finally, Vox Day surmises that Washington, by moving the carrier groups into the Eastern Mediterranean, may be trying to provoke Russia into responding militarily.