Israel-Iran escalation is possible before end-2020

Significance

The killing is widely attributed to Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad. Amir-Abdollahian also suggested that Israel could not have been acting alone, pointing the finger at Washington.

Impacts

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could pay a price for escalatory action in his relationship with US President-elect Joe Biden.
• Other Iranian scientists may feel increasingly insecure and ultimately consider moving away from their involvement in the nuclear project.
• If an Iranian retaliation were high-profile or high-casualty, the Israeli military response would be immediate and disproportionate.