Israel’s response to Iran’s weekend missile attack could come as soon as today as the nation’s war cabinet convened to hammer out the timing and scope of the impending counterstrike, according to a report.
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned his US counterpart Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the Jewish home state has “no choice” but to retaliate against the rogue Islamic Republic after it launched hundreds of missiles and suicide drones into Israeli airspace on Saturday night, according to an Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.
World leaders, including President Biden, have urged Israel to be measured in its response, expressing fears of escalating the conflict even further.
Iran’s aerial assault was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Damascus on April 1 in which a top Iranian general was killed.
Israel — working with a coalition of unlikely allies, included the US, the UK, France, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — was able to stop 99% of the 350 weapons launched by Iran. None of the drones or cruise missiles struck Israel, and only a few of the ballistic missiles made it through, according to the Jerusalem Post.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz has called for a swift response, CNN reports, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held off on giving the green light as international pressure mounts.
Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that the US will not provide support for a counter-attack against Iran.
“You got a win. Take the win,” the president reportedly said.
However all options remain on the table as the war cabinet debated the nation’s next move, running the gamut from diplomatic to military, including precision strikes against key Iranian oil infrastructure or even a cyberattack campaign, the Wall Street Journal writes.
The debate over how and when to strike back at Iran prompted Israel to delay a long-anticipated military incursion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, The Times of Israel reported Monday.
