Divisions within Iranian government over how to respond to Nasrallah’s killing – NYT

There are divisions within Iran’s government over how to respond to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the New York Times reports.

The detailed report says conservatives within the Iranian leadership are pushing for a strong response to the killing of the leader of Tehran’s strongest proxy, while moderates, led by new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, are arguing for restraint.

Hardliners want Tehran to respond to the killing with a strike that would deter Israel from potentially hitting Iran, while Pezeshkian reportedly argued that doing so would mean they would be falling into a trap laid by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to widen the war.

Citing four unnamed Iranian officials who knew Nasrallah, the newspaper reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “had been deeply shaken by his friend’s death and was in mourning, but had assumed a calm and pragmatic posture.”

The report notes that Khamenei appeared to signal that a response may come directly from the Hezbollah terror organization rather than Tehran.