The unveiling of a new drone will fuel concerns in the West that Iran and Israel are edging closer to direct military confrontation, despite a wider easing of hostilities in the Middle East between Tehran and its other rivals, notably Saudi Arabia.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, this week accused Iran of orchestrating a series of deadly attacks on his people in the occupied West Bank. He has also condemned a recent prisoner swap deal between the United States and Tehran which will release £4billion in frozen Iranian assets.
Iran continues to develop a nuclear programme which Israel regards as an existential threat, with Mr Netanyahu stepping up threats to launch decisive military action in recent months.
Israel is suspected of launching a flurry of targeted strikes on nuclear sites deep inside Iran from 2020-2022, including the assassination of Tehran’s chief nuclear scientist. This year, however, has seen far fewer attacks of that nature.
Last week, it emerged that Joe Biden, the US president, has launched a bid to significantly calm tensions in the Middle East, notably on the Iranian nuclear issue, so he can claim a foreign policy victory ahead of elections next year.