Israel and Iran are edging into a fresh bout of shadow conflict after a night of suspected “mutual testing” in the skies over Iraq and near Iran’s borders, coinciding with a drone strike on Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field and the assassination of a senior Hezbollah figure in Lebanon. Reports from Iraqi, Israeli, and regional outlets say Israeli jets conducted simulated strike maneuvers in Iraqi airspace close to Iran, supported by US refuelling aircraft, while a drone attack set gas storage tanks ablaze at Khor Mor, prompting Iraqi officials to call it an assault on regional “security and economic stability.” In Tehran, influential voices linked to Iran’s security establishment warned that the country’s “patience has limits” as Iranian media talked up efforts to rebuild and harden the “axis of resistance” network in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, fuelling fears that any miscalculation could spiral into an Iran–Israel 2.0 confrontation only months after their 12‑day war.