From JERUSALEM
Trying to prevent a Middle East conflict spiral, world leaders warned against reprisal. Israel's military chief indicated on Monday that his country will reply to Iran's attack over the weekend, but he did not specify when or how.
Two weeks prior, an alleged Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, the capital of Syria, resulted in the deaths of two Iranian generals. This attack held back by Iran on Saturday. Notwithstanding years of hostility stemming from the Islamic Revolution of 1979, it was the first time Iran had launched a direct military attack on Israel.
In the strike, Iran fired hundreds of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones against Israel. According to the Israeli military, Israel's jets and air defenses, working with a coalition of allies lead by the United States, intercepted 99 percent of the drones and missiles.
Israel is thinking about its next move, but the Iranian assault "will be met with a response," according to Israeli military leader Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who made this announcement on Monday.
Halevi remained vague. Israel would react "at the time that we choose," according to army spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
The two officers were speaking at the southern Israeli air base of Nevatim, which Hagari said had only little damage from the Iranian strike.
To plan a potential reaction, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been conferring with senior officials. The government didn't make any statements or decisions for the second day in a row.
The prime minister's office reported that Netanyahu stated, "Israel will do whatever is required to defend itself," during a call with U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Even while Israeli officials have made threats of retribution, there is strong international pressure on the government to avoid intensifying the crisis further, particularly in light of how little damage the Iranian strike inflicted.
In order to prepare a comprehensive diplomatic response, the United States has asked Israel to exercise prudence.
The Pentagon press secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, stated that Israel must determine how to respond, but he also stated, "We don't want to see escalation, but we obviously will take necessary measures to protect our forces in the region."
When asked at a briefing if such a move would compromise regional stability, Ryder responded that the United States will "continue to maintain close consultation with our Israeli partners, as we have done all weekend." Once more, we have no desire for broader regional strife.
In an effort to oppose Iran, the U.S. has also been trying in recent years to deepen relations between Israel and the moderate Arab governments.
The United States Central Command, which is in charge of American military activities in the Middle East, has supervised a large portion of this collaboration. The military of Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations are closely partnered with Centcom.
The main American allies in the area, Jordan, the United States, and the United Kingdom have all stated that their air forces assisted in intercepting the Iranian missiles and drones. In addition to stating that "other partners" including France were engaged, Halevi added that "the attack by Iran has created new opportunities for cooperation in the Middle East."
An Israeli military map showed that the Iranian weapons also passed over Saudi airspace. Israel claims that the majority of the interceptions were outside of its airspace, suggesting at the very least unofficial collaboration with the Saudis.
These covert ties might be strained by an Israeli strike carried out unilaterally, especially with nations like Saudi Arabia that do not have formal diplomatic ties to Israel. Additionally, it may put Israel at danger of forging new ties with Iran at a time when it is engulfed in a six-month conflict with Hamas terrorists within Gaza.
The Gaza War has put Israel and Iran squarely on the defensive. After two terrorist organizations supported by Iran, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, launched a deadly cross-border attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 250 more, the war broke out.
According to local health professionals, Israel's attack in Gaza has resulted in approximately 33,700 Palestinian deaths and extensive destruction.
Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon have exchanged gunfire during the course of the conflict, and Israel has also been assaulted by Iranian-backed militias in Yemen and Iraq. Fears of a possibly devastating full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah or a more generalized direct conflict between Israel and Iran have persisted due to the tension.
International leaders urged Israel not to attack Iran.
"All sides must show restraint," according to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in order to prevent a rising spiral of bloodshed in the Middle East. Paris will attempt to "convince Israel that we must not respond by escalating," according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington, declined to comment on Monday when asked if the United States had received or anticipated a briefing on Israeli reaction preparations. He answered, "We'll let the Israelis talk about that."
Kirby stated, "We are not involved in their decision-making process regarding a potential response."
Although the United States does not want an escalation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that it will continue to defend Israel's security. He promised to intensify diplomatic efforts to isolate Iran. He stated, "Wisdom and strength need to be two sides of the same coin."
