Iran doesn't have a whole lot of friends on its side in the Middle East after an Israeli airstrike effectively wiped out top military leadership and crippled its nuclear program. However, even with that,

The Israeli prime minister then tied Joe Biden in knots over Gaza, and then Lebanon, for the final 15 months of his term. And he has now almost certainly cocked a snook at Donald Trump, who, by most accounts, wanted more time to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran.

Hezbollah has long been considered Iran’s first line of defense in case of a war with Israel. But since Israel launched its massive barrage against Iran this week, the Lebanese militant group has stayed out of the fray.

The Tehran-backed group remains remarkably restrained following the Israeli strikes on Iran. Is Hezbollah too weak to attack or is the group busy rearming?

Lebanese journalist Raghida Dergham and former Mossad analyst Sima Shine spoke about Iran's waning power after the decimation of Hezbollah and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Long seen as the Iran-led axis's most powerful group, Hezbollah was severely weakened after its latest war with Israel, which ended in a ceasefire agreement in November.

Israel launched its most extensive series of airstrikes on the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on Thursday, as well as Ain Qana in south Lebanon, stating it targeted Hezbollah drone production and storage facilities.

An art expert who appeared on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt show has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to report his sale of pricey works to a suspected financier of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.

The airstrikes on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, were some of the heaviest since a U.S.-brokered cease-fire came into effect in November.

Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon since the ceasefire, which Lebanon has said are in violation of the agreement. Israeli officials say the strikes are intended to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping after a war that took out much of its senior leadership and arsenal.

Iran conflictLebanese officials have urged Hezbollah not to join Iran’s response to Israeli attacks and the group has assured them it will not take part, security sources told The National on Saturday.