Cabinet said resolved to respond militarily, but has not decided how; officials also weighing targeted assassinations, attacks on air defenses; response to be coordinated with US
Israel may respond to Iran’s major Tuesday ballistic missile attack by striking strategic infrastructure, such as gas or oil rigs, or by directly targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, media reports said on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials.
Targeted assassinations and attacks on Iran’s air defense systems are also possible responses, Axios reported.
An attack on Iranian oil facilities could devastate the country’s economy, and any of the considered responses could mark another escalation, almost one year into the ongoing war that began when the Hamas terror group attacked Israel in October 2023.
Israel may respond to Iran’s major Tuesday ballistic missile attack by striking strategic infrastructure, such as gas or oil rigs, or by directly targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, media reports said on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials.
Targeted assassinations and attacks on Iran’s air defense systems are also possible responses, Axios reported.
An attack on Iranian oil facilities could devastate the country’s economy, and any of the considered responses could mark another escalation, almost one year into the ongoing war that began when the Hamas terror group attacked Israel in October 2023.
The PMO released a picture from the meeting showing Netanyahu huddling with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. Also present were Maj. Gen. Ronen Gofman, Netanyahu’s military aide, and Tzachi Braverman, the premier’s chief of staff.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits one side of a desk, as his chief of staff Tazchi Braverman takes notes at the head of the desk, in a meeting with to[ security officials: (L-R) Maj. Gen. Ronen Gofman, the premier’s military aide; IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi; Defense Minister Yoav Gallant; Mossad chief David Barnea; and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, at the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, October 2, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
The discussion took place after another hours-long meeting of the security cabinet in a bunker underneath Jerusalem on Tuesday night. That meeting ended with the understanding that Israel would respond to the attack militarily, but without clarity as to how it would do so, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Israeli officials.The absence of a more specific decision was in part out of a desire to coordinate any plans with the United States, the report said, adding that Netanyahu was expected to speak with US President Joe Biden as soon as Wednesday afternoon.
Netanyahu declared after the attack that “Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay for it,” vowing, “whoever attacks us — we will attack them.”
In April, the Islamic Republic fired some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, after an airstrike killed several Iranian generals in Damascus. Though Israel’s alleged response to that attack was restrained, analysts told media outlets Wednesday that Israel is likely to be more aggressive this time around.
That’s in part because the attack on Tuesday came some two weeks into a new Israeli offensive against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which has devastated the Iranian proxy, lessening its power as a deterrent against strong Israeli action.
There remains, however, the possibility that Iran itself could escalate, including into a full-scale war, if Israel deals it a serious blow.
“We have a big question mark about how the Iranians are going to respond to an attack, but we take into consideration the possibility that they would go all in, which will be a whole different ball game,” an Israeli official told Axios.
In Israel, ministers vowed that Iran would regret the attack, while politicians, including from the opposition, called for a heavy response.