The story: Comments by Iran’s supreme leader on the nature of war have renewed focus on pledges that Israel will pay for the assassination of a Palestinian leader in Tehran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s intervention notably follows Hezbollah’s launch of a drone and rocket attack on Israel in retaliation for Tel Aviv’s killing of the Lebanese group’s top military commander. Meanwhile, insisting that Iran does “not seek” escalation, Iran’s new chief diplomat has warned of a “definitive” reaction against Israel that will be “measured” and “well calculated.”

The coverage: Khamenei addressed how wars have been waged “in different forms” throughout history before a...