The Israeli war cabinet decided to respond to Iran “without causing an all-out war,” after Benjamin Netanyahu’s government discussed “a wide range of options,” developed by Israeli army commanders, to strike in retaliation for the Iranian missile attack on Saturday.
Israeli Army Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi said on Monday that Israel would respond to the attack. Speaking from the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which suffered some damage in the attack, he added: “This launching of many missiles, cruise missiles and drones on Israeli territory will be met with a response.”
The Israeli Channel 12 reported that the war cabinet discussed a set of options at its meeting, Monday, with the aim of harming Iran after its attack with drones and missiles on Israel, but without causing a comprehensive war.
In a report, the channel said that Israel’s intention was to initiate action in coordination with the United States, which said would not participate with Israel in any direct attack on Iran.
Early on Tuesday, Israeli army spokesman Peter Lerner told reporters that military officials had presented the government with a range of options for responding to the Iranian strike on Israel.
He added that Israel’s response may or may not involve a military strike, pointing to many different scenarios between these two options, according to the American ABC News network.
Israel remains on high alert, but the authorities have canceled some emergency measures, including bans on some school activities and restrictions on large gatherings.
Two Israeli sources told CNN on Monday that the war cabinet was studying military options to respond to the Iranian attack, including targeting an Iranian facility while avoiding casualties. In addition to the possible military response, the Israeli war cabinet is also studying diplomatic options to increase Iran’s isolation on the global stage, according to CNN.
The two sources, who were not named by the news network, reported that Israel was about to take its first steps towards launching a ground attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this week, but postponed those plans while it was considering a response to the recent Iranian strike.
Meanwhile, the Russian Interfax agency reported that Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, discussed the escalating tensions in the Middle East with the head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi.
The agency quoted the Russian Security Council as saying that Patrushev indicated the need for all parties to exercise restraint to prevent escalation of the conflict. The Kremlin said earlier, on Monday, that it was deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Middle East following the attack launched by Iran with missiles and drones on Israel.
