The anxiety in the Middle East has been palpable since Tuesday night. The killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran happened only hours after Israel struck a southern Beirut suburb, claiming to have killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr.
Mr Haniyeh was in Iran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian when he was killed, provoking a vow from the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to punish Israel, although it has yet to claim responsibility for the attack. The strike in Lebanon came days after a rocket hit a football pitch in Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children.
After deadly week, we look at what happens when two major players in the so-called Axis of Resistance are attacked and how such escalation will affect ceasefire talks in Gaza. In this episode, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Mena programme director at Crisis Group Joost Hiltermann and Palestinian analyst Taghreed El-Khodary.