In a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," President Masoud Pezeshkian placed the blame for the ongoing violence in that region squarely on Israel, as opposed to his own country or Hezbollah, the belligerent group it has sponsored for decades.

Leaders in Tehran suggested it would be the Lebanese militia that would strike back at Israel after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and bombings in Beirut.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian looks on, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo DUBAI (Reuters) - Israel should not be allowed to attack countries in the Iran-aligned "Axis of Resistance" one after the other,

Senior Biden administration officials said that they were still assessing the situation in Lebanon and their next steps, warning that it was difficult to predict what might follow after the death of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah from an Israeli airstrike.

The Israeli military said the air force had "struck dozens of Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including launchers that were aimed toward Israeli territory, structures in which weapons were stored and additional Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure".

Experts think it is unlikely Iran will escalate the conflict and that it will instead focus on rebuilding Hezbollah and keeping its network of proxies in action for as long as possible.