What does Iran want? Israel, Gaza and the spectre of regional escalation

Hezbollah has lost several dozen fighters in cross-border skirmishes since Hamas sparked the war with Israel last month. Do Tehran and its proxies want to keep the tensions on a low simmer or dial them up for a full boil? There are good arguments for both.

The US, conscious of the mounting outrage over Israel's daily bombardments of civilians in Gaza, is now calling for a humanitarian pause in that Palestinian territory. What's Washington's plan for de-escalation? Meanwhile Israel's enemies, starting with Iran, see an opportunity to scuttle a normalisation of ties with regional powers and a chance to break out of their own isolation in the name of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Produced by Maya Yataghene, Rebecca Gnignati and Louise Guibert.

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