Iran told Arab diplomats calling for restraint that it doesn’t care if the response to the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh will spark war in the Middle East – per people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal.

Read more: Houthis vow to retaliation against UK, UK aggression

Iran and Hezbollah are planning to launch their retaliatory strike against “Israel” on the Jewish day of mourning “Tisha B’av” to amplify psychological impact, along with several tactical considerations – per unnamed Western intelligence sources cited by Sky News Arabia.

“Tisha B’av” will take place on the sunset of August 12 and end on the nightfall of August 13. It is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which several disasters in Jewish history occurred; the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem.

The sources said that this day has been chosen for several psychological and tactical considerations, as an attack on Tisha B’Av would intensify the narrative of “Israel’s” end and destruction.

In addition, the reported tactical advantage lies in the fact that “Israel” may have lowered defenses on that day, and also increase the state of chaos resulting from the attack; similar to Egypt's Yom Kippur war in 1973 – per the sources.