Hi there from CNN I'm Joe Beck with the five things you need to know for Thursday

August 8th. As the Middle East continues to hold its breath Hezbollah looks like it's ready to strike Israel.

We've been telling you about escalated tensions in the region for more than a week,

as Iran has promised to retaliate for the killings of militant group leaders, which it blames on Israel.

We asked CNN's Germana Karaje for the latest.

Yeah, Joe, the region continues to be on ice edge.

Sources are telling my colleagues in DC that they believe Hezbollah that's right

on Israel's northern border is likely to strike independent of whatever Iran may intend to do

and it could be in the coming days. Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrala this week said that keeping Israel

waiting for their retaliation was quote part of the punishment and this of

course happening as we're seeing a lot of shuttle diplomacy attempts to try and contain Iran's response and retaliation with many

warning that the danger of an all-out war in the Middle East is very real.

Organizers have cancelled all three of Real. play three shows from her era's tour in Vienna, today, tomorrow and Saturday, but the promoter

says they've all been called off for people's safety.

CNN has reached out to Swift's representatives for comments. Police say two people were arrested over the alleged

plot yesterday, including a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who they identified as an ISIS sympathizer. The decision to cancel the shows could come at a significant

cost to Vienna's businesses and it has devastated fans. But former CIA operative and author

Robert Bear says it's also highlighted the vulnerability

of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks.

Ultimately Taylor Swift is well protected. Getting to her would be very difficult, but disrupting one of these concerts would be enough.

These are symbolic targets for the Islamic State,

and as tension rises in the Middle East I think we can see more of this.

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