Relief as Hezbollah and Israel seem to step back from brink

It was the biggest flare-up here since the Gaza war began last October, after Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel in a single day.

Since then, Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across their shared border, showing support for its ally Hamas, and proclaiming solidarity with the people of Gaza.

So where are we now, one day on? Surprisingly, perhaps, the Middle East may be a little safer.

Both sides have delivered a message, but stopped short of all-out war. And Hezbollah has signalled it’s ready to close the Fuad Shukr chapter – for the moment.

“We reserve our right to continue the response at a later point, but for now, the people can be at ease and carry on with their lives,” said Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

After a tense month, that was a welcome message for many here.

He was addressing his supporters on TV from an undisclosed location – he might be at the top of Israel’s assassination list.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said Sunday’s strikes against Hezbollah were “not the end of the story”.

But diplomats told the Reuters news agency that both sides had exchanged messages saying they didn’t want a further escalation.