Salem: Power balance has changed, Israel is preparing for large-scale attack on Iran

Israeli devastating attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon have given Israel a victory as it moves towards a direct confrontation with militant group supporters in Iran, a regional expert said Thursday.

Following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah and the launch of a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, Israel is likely to target Iran directly in response to Tuesday's Iranian missile attack, said Paul Salem, deputy head of international engagement at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

“We are preparing for a large-scale Israeli attack on Iran”, Salem told CNN.

The Israeli assassination of Nasra God and the numerous heavy blows against Hezbollah over the past two weeks signalled a “tetonic” in regional power dynamics, he added.

Before Israel cut Hezbollah's head off and degraded him, Israel was more concerned about Hezbollah when it was supposed to hit Iran”, Salem said.

Now, they think Hezbollah is not a big threat and now Israel is focused on pursuing Iran itself. And this tectonic change is a difference in which Iran no longer has the balance of power or balance of prevention”.