Iran, Hezbollah could be waiting on Gaza ceasefire deal before deciding on escalation: Expert

A new round of talks to reach a lasting truce in the Gaza war began in Qatar on Thursday (Aug 15) amid efforts to avoid a wider regional war. Palestinian militant group Hamas is not attending, saying they will consult if Israel responds positively. Urgency has mounted after the death toll in Gaza crossed 40,000. The region is also bracing for possibly retaliatory strikes by Iran and its proxies for Israel’s alleged assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy, tells CNA’s Asia First his thoughts on the likelihood of ceasefire talks progressing with Hamas not in the room. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia