Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that Israel would take “whatever action is necessary” to diminish the threat posed by Hezbollah. And in a tit for tat, the deputy leader of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has warned the conflict was entering “a new stage.” This is after a weekend of continuous rocket and missile barrages from both sides.These threats have added to international alarm that intensifying violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has put the region on the brink of a wider catastrophe.