Iran and armed groups backed by it are preparing coordinated action meant to deter Israel but avert all-out war, sources and analysts have said, after the killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures.

Iranian officials met in Tehran a day ago with representatives of the so-called “axis of resistance” — a loose alliance of Tehran-backed groups hostile to Israel — to discuss retaliation for the deaths of Hamas’s leader and Hezbollah’s top military commander, said a source close to Lebanese group.

“Two scenarios were discussed: a simultaneous response from Iran and its allies or a staggered response from each party,” the source who had been briefed on the meeting told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

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