Atta Kenare | AFP | Getty Imageswatch nowBut a full-blown conventional war would be devastating to both sides and highly destabilizing for the Middle East. Are these tit-for-tat blows between Israel and Iran clear evidence of all-out war, or carefully calibrated retaliation strikes? "With Israel's apparent strikes on Iran today, retaliating for Iran's attack on Israel last Sunday, we now have a direct nation-on-nation hot war," he told CNBC's "Capital Connection" Friday. 'Ball is back in Iran's court'Not everyone agrees that the line into wider war has been crossed, however. Within hours of the Israeli strikes, risk assets were already on their way back down, with international oil benchmark Brent crude turning lower for the session after a brief spike.

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Persons: Atta Kenare, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Ebrahim Raisi, Clay Seigle, CNBC's, Ehud Olmert, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Olmert, Ian Bremmer, Michael Singh, Israel, Rob Casey, Casey Organizations: AFP, Getty, Washington, Rapidan Energy Group, Israeli, Military, Israel, Eurasia Group, National Security Council, Wall Street, Signum Global Advisors, Anadolu, International Atomic Energy Agency, Brent Locations: Palestine Square, Tehran, Israel, Iran, U.S, Damascus, Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, Anadolu