Israel will immediately respond to Iran’s attack, possibly within the day, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites US and Western officials.
Israel’s war cabinet, which convened for the second straight day after the Iranian attack, met on Monday under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss its response to the Iranian attack.
Government spokesman David Menscher told a news conference that Israel “retains all of its options” and added: “We reserve the right to do everything in our power and we will do everything in our power to defend our country”.
Benny Gantz, a key member of the war cabinet, is pushing for an immediate response to the Iranian attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has so far put the brakes on making a decision. Ganj believes that the longer Israel delays in responding to Iran’s attack, the harder it will be to garner international support for such an attack, one of the sources said.
Channel 12 reported that several options were being discussed, each of which could result in “painful retaliation” against Iran.
In addition to a possible military response, the war cabinet is also considering diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.
However, Israel reportedly does not intend to provoke an all-out war and also aims to choose a response that will not be blocked by the US, the media outlet added.
Iran “will respond immediately and more strongly than before” if Israel retaliates
Iran does not want to escalate tensions but will respond immediately and more forcefully than before if Israel retaliates, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told his British counterpart today, according to Iranian state media.
The Islamic Republic fired drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday in retaliation for an attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, fueling fears of a wider regional war that could erupt in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Washington does not want “escalation” with Iran but will continue to defend Israel
The US is not “seeking escalation” but will continue to defend Israel following Iran’s attack on the Jewish state, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today.
“We are not seeking escalation but we will continue to defend Israel and protect our forces in the region,” the head of US diplomacy said at the start of his meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Tamim.
“I think this weekend showed that Israel does not have to defend itself when it is the victim of aggression…” he said, condemning the Iranian attack as “unprecedented in scope and scale”, the first direct attack by Iran on Israel.
The US Secretary of State spoke again of intense diplomatic activity “in the last 36 hours, with the aim of coordinating a diplomatic response to try to prevent escalation” in the region. The head of US diplomacy met with his counterparts from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Britain and Germany, according to the State Department.
For his part, Ali Tamim said that Baghdad called on all parties involved to show restraint. “The Iraqi government warns that the escalation in the region will evolve into a wider war that will threaten international security,” he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is on an official visit to the US and will be received at the White House by President Joe Biden.
Iran Attacks Israel: Which Countries Are Involved?
Israel said on Sunday that around 350 rockets were fired overnight by Iran and its allies into Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. The attack included about 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Almost all were intercepted, according to the Israeli military and the White House.
The United States, Jordan, and Britain also participated in intercepting the attack.
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