Tehran is struggling to find a way to respond to the attacks on its proxy in Lebanon that won’t ignite all-out war

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Iran’s reformist-led government has said it has no plans to send troops to reinforce Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it is coming under domestic pressure from hardliners seeking to exploit what they regard as a failure to stand up to Israel – and also hoping to block any discussion with the west over future oversight of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Calls for a tougher Iranian response redoubled when it emerged that Brig Gen Abbas Nilforushan, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)’s deputy commander for Lebanon and Syria, had been killed in Beirut alongside the Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah.