Israel’s apparent strike on Iran after days of prevarication was small and appeared calibrated to dial back risks of a major war, even if the sheer fact it happened at all shattered a taboo of direct attacks that Tehran broke days earlier.
Netanyahu‘s war cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night inside Iranian territory to respond forcefully to last Saturday’s missile and drones from Iran, but held back at the last-minute, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.
By then, the sources said, the three voting members of the war cabinet had already ruled out the most drastic response – a strike on strategic sites including Iran’s nuclear facilities whose destruction would almost certainly provoke a wider regional conflict. Facing cabinet divisions and strong warnings from partners including the US and in the Gulf not to escalate, and aware of the need to keep international opinion on Israel’s side, the plans to hit back were then postponed twice, the sources said. Two war cabinet meetings were also delayed twice, officials said.
Reuters spoke to a dozen sources in Israel, Iran and in the Gulf region, as well as the US, who described six frantic days of efforts in the Gulf, the US and among some of Israel’s war planners to limit the response to Iran’s first ever direct attack on its arch rival.
While satisfying Israel’s moderates, its neighbours and global partners, the measured strike was met with dismay from hardliners in Netanyahu’s cabinet. National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ultranationalist party is a key prop in PM’s coalition, posted on X, “Feeble”.
Netanyahu‘s war cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night inside Iranian territory to respond forcefully to last Saturday’s missile and drones from Iran, but held back at the last-minute, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.
By then, the sources said, the three voting members of the war cabinet had already ruled out the most drastic response – a strike on strategic sites including Iran’s nuclear facilities whose destruction would almost certainly provoke a wider regional conflict. Facing cabinet divisions and strong warnings from partners including the US and in the Gulf not to escalate, and aware of the need to keep international opinion on Israel’s side, the plans to hit back were then postponed twice, the sources said. Two war cabinet meetings were also delayed twice, officials said.
Reuters spoke to a dozen sources in Israel, Iran and in the Gulf region, as well as the US, who described six frantic days of efforts in the Gulf, the US and among some of Israel’s war planners to limit the response to Iran’s first ever direct attack on its arch rival.
While satisfying Israel’s moderates, its neighbours and global partners, the measured strike was met with dismay from hardliners in Netanyahu’s cabinet. National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ultranationalist party is a key prop in PM’s coalition, posted on X, “Feeble”.
