Trump's evolving rhetoric about the Israel-Iran conflict suggests he is leaning further towards joining the Israeli offensive, says Professor Amnon Aran, an Israeli foreign policy expert.

Trump posted yesterday on social media Washington's "patience is wearing thin", saying he wants to see an "unconditional surrender" from Tehran.

Aran says that kind of strained language signals he is crossing a threshold, and is "very difficult to row back from," he tells Radio 5 Live. “All the proclamations and statements by President Trump are reflecting this gradual shift towards a greater inclination to intervene."

“We’re definitely the closest we have been" to a US entry in the conflict since it began, he adds.

GAZA REACTIONS

In Gaza, reactions to the recent escalation between Iran and Israel are a complex mix of emotions ranging from a sense of vindication at the sight of destruction inside Israel, to deep concern that the crisis could further overshadow their own prolonged suffering.

Some Palestinians admit to feeling a grim satisfaction watching Israeli buildings collapse and civilians trapped under rubble following Iranian missile strikes.

Yet, that sentiment is tempered by fear that the world’s attention is drifting even further from Gaza, where nearly 20 months of war, blockade, and humanitarian catastrophe continue unabated.

Hassan Omar Talba, who lost his brother, wife, and three children in Israeli airstrikes, has expressed frustration at what he sees as Iran’s symbolic support for Gaza.

“Iran has never built a school, a hospital, or even sent a single truck of aid to Gaza,” he says. “They’ve never treated a wounded person. All they did was send rockets and back Hamas, which led us to the edge of the abyss.”

Still, he adds, “I support anyone who targets Israel. Let Israeli civilians experience just for one night what we in Gaza have endured for 20 months straight.”