Sending That Critical Message To Iran

"This is an opportunity to create a new American-led regional security alignment against Iran if we can take advantage of it."

"Who would ever have thought that we would be part of a coalition that included the United Kingdom and France and Jordan and maybe other Arab countries?"

Chuck Freilich, former deputy head, Israel National Security Council

 

"Our allies do not want us to go for an over-the-top response and we want to work with our allies, especially after the success we enjoyed with them."

"We don't have to have cause casualties, but it's important that we do respond, because it sends a message to all those who want to harm us."

Israeli official

 

"On different levels of intensity, Israel has been fighting Iran for years. It will not stop tomorrow or the next day. And it will not stop if Israel reacts right now."

"We cannot be confused here. Iran has escalated the war. But Israel needs to act smartly in order to strengthen the regional and global front against them."

Yair Golan, former deputy IDF chief of staff

Israel PM Netanyahu convenes war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv

Israel's war cabinet has been deliberating to find a solution somewhere between its need to respond to Iran's blatant, potentially destructive act of war, and the urging to exercise restraint in its response, by its collegial supporters both in the West and in the Middle East. How to respond to the psychologically devastating aerial assault by the Islamic Republic and yet prevent distancing its international allies, thus squandering an opportunity for a much-needed strategic international alliance against Iran is the puzzler for wise minds to prevail.

 

The Israel Defense Forces has been tasked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide a schematic of target options in line with the government searching out options that would "send a message", yet not be the cause of mass casualties. Options such as a strike on a facility in Tehran, even a cyberattack of destructive importance. "Everyone agrees that Israel must respond. How to respond, when to respond, is the question", articulated an unnamed Israeli official, unauthorized to speak.

Limited material damage resulted from the five-hour aerial onslaught, repelled by an international alliance including the U.S., France and Britain, assisted by Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE; a model of coordination pitted against Iran, that analysts describe as an unprecedented strategic opportunity for Israel to be embraced by the international fold following frictions over its invasion of Gaza in its war against Hamas.

 

Israel's hugely successful air defences along with the allied response repelled the attack, enabling Israel to respond from a position of confidence while European leaders reiterated concerns relating to t he potential for a spiral in the regional security situation. "We are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough, and to recognize that Iran suffered this defeat, because the attack was a failure", said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. "The right thing to do is not to escalate."

 

Israel faces a multi-pronged challenge in that even if it struck Iran hard, it still must face Tehran's regional proxies, even aside from the looming reality of Iran's nuclear program. Israelis have experienced a shattering of their sense of security in the wake of the Hamas-led assault on October 7. The Israeli public breathed a sigh of relief after the intensity of Saturday/Sunday's extreme events, somewhat restored in their nation's success repelling the attack.  

"I think we did avoid something terrible Saturday night."

"It was like the world remembered that we are the ones under attack for a minute. I hope it changes something, I hope it ends the war."

"But I don't think anything can change until our hostages are back with their families."

Yosef Levy, student, Jerusalem