By By Josiane Hajj Moussa for bne Beirut bureau Israel's massive airstrike on Iran involving over 200 aircraft has placed Lebanon in a precarious position, with Hezbollah's response—or deliberate restraint—emerging as a critical factor in determining whether the Middle East slides into wider conflict.

The timing of Israel’s air strikes suggest to some that the US influence over Benjamin Netanyahu has weakened.

A Hezbollah official told Reuters the Lebanese armed group, which is backed by Iran, “will not initiate its own attack on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s strikes.” In a separate public statement, Hezbollah condemned what it called “brutal Israeli aggression” against Iranian nuclear facilities and personnel,

ET with carriers that have canceled flights to and from Israel. Heightened geopolitical tensions fueled by Israel's airstrike on Iran are weighing on travel-related stocks, with airline, cruise, and hotel shares all trading in the red.

Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict when Israel launched a major attack with strikes early Friday that set off explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Israel said it targeted nuclear and military facilities, killing Iran’s top military and nuclear scientists.

From deadly bombings in Buenos Aires in the early 1990s, to the cyberattack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility using the Stuxnet virus, assassinations of key Iranian nuclear scientists, and now the retaliatory missile exchanges of 2024–2025, the two countries have been locked in a high-stakes regional conflict with global repercussions.

In a major escalation, Israel on Jun 13 launched airstrikes against Iran’s military targets and nuclear program, as well as targeting scientists and generals

In a bold and unilateral move, Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and leadership in an operation that may have been years in the making, much like last year's attack on the pagers of Hezbollah members.