It is now clear, however, that neither Hezbollah or Iran wishes to risk a descent to all put war at the present time. Iran appears to have relegated its response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran to some point in the future. Hezbollah, meanwhile, sought to target two sites of high significance – the Mossad headquarters, and the HQ of the IDF’s signals intelligence unit, 8200.

Israel’s conventional superiority has not solved the strategic problem of the emptying out of the northern border area since October. Hezbollah’s daily strikes there may lack the precision and force of Israel’s fighter jets. They are nevertheless sufficient to make normal life close to the border impossible, posing a question to which Jerusalem had not yet found the answer. But Tehran’s desire now to preserve its assets and return the focus to the campaigns of attrition it prefers will have been well noted by both friend and foe. It is likely to have implications in the next stages of the conflict.