Israel decimated the group’s leadership last fall and degraded its military capabilities. Can the same strategy work against a far more powerful foe?

The most frightening scenario, considering the strategy Israel has employed in Lebanon, would be a series of attacks targeting lower-level figures, which could escalate to higher-level figures depending on the response or lack thereof, creating an even more frightening scenario than the current one.

Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear and military sites have pushed the long-simmering rivalry into open warfare, with Tehran retaliating and hitting key Israeli cities. With the US trying to balance diplomacy and deterrence,

The latest armed conflict between Israel and Iran is the most significant showdown between the two West Asian archrivals in decades.

What was the context for these attacks? What kind of damage has been inflicted? How has Iran responded? How has the world responded, and what happens next?

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was long considered Iran’s first line of defense in case of a war with Israel.