For the third time in three days, Israel’s war cabinet will come together to deliberate on how to react to Iran’s unprecedented direct assault. The decision-making process is under intense scrutiny from the international community, urging for measures to prevent further escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
The Israeli military chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, has emphatically stated that Iran’s barrage of 300 missiles, cruise missiles, and drones on Israeli territory Saturday night will not go unanswered. However, he refrained from providing specific details on the planned response.
Despite the attack resulting in no casualties and minimal damage, concerns have mounted over the possibility of the conflict stemming from the Gaza war spilling over into other regions. This has raised the specter of a full-blown confrontation between longstanding adversaries Iran and Israel.
The Iranian attack was launched in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy in Damascus on April 1, an incident attributed to Israel. President Joe Biden informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States, Israel’s key ally, would not partake in any Israeli retaliatory actions.
In collaboration with European partners, Washington is actively working to strengthen economic and political sanctions against Iran in a bid to discourage Israel from resorting to forceful retaliation against the recent provocations.