After a lengthy meeting lasting more than three hours yesterday afternoon, Israel's five-member war cabinet was unable to reach a decision on its response to Saturday evening's widespread Iranian missile and drone attack. The recommendations of the United States advising prudence weighed on the meeting with American President Joe Biden who urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “reflect carefully and strategically”. The war cabinet has suspended its discussions, however, a new meeting is expected soon, as reported by Channel 12 News. The Israel Hayom newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying a response was inevitable. NBC, however, reported that despite the lack of a decision, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will present options and Israel will respond. Israeli officials interviewed by Reuters indicated that the war cabinet favors a countermeasure against Iran, but there is disagreement over the timing and scope of the response. The war cabinet discussions came less than 24 hours after Iran carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, launching around 350 missiles, cruise missiles and drones. The IDF confirmed that 99% of these were successfully intercepted. According to Israeli sources, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot suggested an immediate counterattack, but Prime Minister Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and Herzi Halevi expressed concerns about coordinating with the interception of incoming missiles.
The Prime Minister's Office, as reported by the Times of Israel, denied these claims, stating that it was exactly the opposite. However, when it became clear that the Iranian attack had caused minimal damage and after the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu, the idea of an immediate response was abandoned, according to information from channels 12 and 13. Channel 12 reported that the The United States did not attempt to prevent an Israeli response but requested advance information and coordination. The United States has publicly stated that it will not participate in any response actions.
Furthermore, Channel 12 claimed that Israel is exploring the possibility of “a strategic pact” with the United States against Iran. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz contacted his British and French colleagues, thanked them for their support against the Iranian attack and stressed the importance of weakening the Iranian regime and imposing sanctions on its missile program. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing Israel's right to self-defense after the Iranian attack and insisted that Iran must face the consequences of its aggression. Jerusalem's reaction is likely to see the intensification of intensive airstrikes on Syria, those deep into Iran, further airstrikes in Lebanon and Iraq, and new highly selective assassination operations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Iran already in course. In any case, Tehran is certainly not at peace, so much so that Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian specified that he had warned the USA of the attack: «With a message to the White House we announced that our operation would be limited, minimal and aimed at legitimate defense and punishment of the Israeli regime, we are not looking for American individuals or bases in the region.”
But who are “those deep in Iran”? Iran seems to be getting closer and closer to joining the “nuclear club”. A Washington Post article highlights how, following a February visit to the Fordow armored facility, located inside a mountain near Iran's Great Salt Desert, IAEA inspectors detected worrying signs. Even more disturbing, as the American newspaper highlights, is the increase in production at Fordow of a more dangerous form of nuclear fuel: highly enriched uranium, close to the level needed for military purposes. Meanwhile, Iranian officials in charge of the facility have begun to openly discuss achieving “deterrence,” implying that Tehran has all the elements needed to build a nuclear bomb should it decide to do so. All of this directly threatens Israel's existence and undermines the stability of the region.
