President Trump is delaying a decision on striking Iran as the White House consults internally and with allies about the timing for such an operation and whether it would meaningfully destabilize the regime,

A single phone call. Two powerful leaders. And a Middle East already on the edge. Did Vladimir Putin just warn Israel — and indirectly the United States — to back off Iran? Because what happened

Putin said Russia is ready to serve as a mediator in the Middle East, an offer that follows signals that the U.S. might launch strikes against Iran amid a deadly crackdown on protests.

Israeli officials have suggested the Trump administration delay large-scale strikes until the Iranian regime is even more strained, while one Arab official said there is “lack of enthusiasm from the neighborhood" for American military action in Iran right now.

Israel is unlikely to do much to try to precipitate a regime change in Iran, seeing the government as far from the brink of collapse and the current protests as insufficient to push it to that point.

On Thursday, reports emerged that Gulf states had talked Trump out of an imminent attack. But the uncertainty — and the recollection that Trump had appeared to waffle before striking Iran last year — has escalated fears in Israel, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s sworn enemy.

According to Iran International journalist Babak Itzhaki a strike on regime targets would not lead to any real results in Iran other than another round of missiles on Israel.

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person yesterday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted the Iran-backed Hezbollah.