Iran has relied on proxies as its first line of defense for decades. Israel's delivery of crippling blows to Hezbollah raises questions about Tehran’s ability to protect them.

In a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," President Masoud Pezeshkian placed the blame for the ongoing violence in that region squarely on Israel, as opposed to his own country or Hezbollah, the belligerent group it has sponsored for decades.