The military cabinet of Israel convened to deliberate on how to react to Iran’s unprecedented offensive including drones and missiles.
Israel kept the status of any decisions made a secret.
While vehemently denouncing Iran’s activities, its friends have urged Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to exercise caution.
The chief of staff of the Israeli military declared that the attack would not go unretaliated, despite Iran’s indications that it views the situation as resolved.
“Look, as we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated.
He did not provide a timeline or a plan of action.
David Petraeus, the former head of the CIA, stated on BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight that Washington did not want to take a chance on the health of the world economy by supporting Israel in its reprisal against Iran.
The commander of the multinational troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus, called the Iranian attack a “very big deal” and insisted that the West recognize its importance to Israel.
Naturally, the difficulty at this point is that there are varying opinions about the best course of action. If there is a sudden increase in the price of Brent crude or if there is a problem with the Gulf’s freedom of navigation. Furthermore, the recent hijacking of an oil tanker by Iran has also raised some concerns.”
The discussion within the Israeli leadership, according to retired General David Petraeus, concerned how to respond in a way that would demonstrate Israeli deterrence without “ratcheting up the escalation any further”.
He said Israel could retaliate without raising the stakes since it had several asymmetric choices.
• What did the Iranian attack wave consist of, and how were they stopped?
Lt Gen Halevi was speaking from the southern Israeli air base of Nevatim, which was damaged during the strike that occurred over night on Saturday but was described as “still functioning” by Israel.
Tehran claimed that the operation was a reprisal for an attack on its consulate in Syria on April 1st, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian military leaders.
More than 300 drones and missiles were reportedly fired toward Israel, according to the Israeli military. It claimed that almost all were defeated by its forces before they could reach their objectives, with assistance from the US, UK, France, and other nations. Israel said there were few casualties and that the damage was minimal.
In response to worries about a significant rise in hostilities in the Middle East, world leaders have urged moderation.
After the Iranian attack, US President Joe Biden confirmed “America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel” in a conversation with Mr. Netanyahu.
However, a senior White House official claims that on Sunday, the US informed Israel that it would not participate in any counterattack against Iran.
“We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict spreading more than it already has,” Biden said on Monday.
On October 7, militants under the leadership of Hamas stormed Israeli communities, killing over 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and capturing roughly 250 more as prisoners to the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel launched an air and military war that has killed over 33,000 people in Gaza, the most of them civilians, according to the health authority in Gaza, which is overseen by Hamas.
In response to the tensions between Iran and Israel, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged “all sides” to “show restraint” on Monday in the UK Parliament. He continued by saying he will talk to Mr. Netanyahu to show support and go over ways to stop “further escalation”.
In a related development, Monday saw an increase in violence in the occupied West Bank in response to the death of Benjamin Achimeir, an Israeli youngster.
On Friday of last week, he vanished from a settler outpost near Ramallah after taking a flock of sheep out to graze. He was later discovered dead by the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the Israeli government, he fell prey to a “terrorist attack”.
The US has denounced Israeli settlers’ acts of retaliatory violence, which include the murders of Omar Ahmad Abdulghani Hamed and Jihad Abu Aliya, two young Palestinians.
Israel declared on Monday that it would look into the deaths of two additional Palestinians that were reportedly caused by Israeli settlers in the vicinity of the city of Nablus.