Hezbollah's second-in-command, Naim Qassem, has threatened to increase cross-border attacks against Israel if it continues its deadly assault on the Gaza Strip. This escalation has been further complicated by the miscellany of topics that have come up over the weekend in Israel/Palestine, and the current crisis has raised fears of a regional war. Iranian-backed militant groups have also launched an unprecedented array of attacks against American targets as part of Iran's strategy to surround Israel with a group of proxy militias and statelets.