Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that the country would respond to the airstrike attack on Iran. He has two options, experts say, and how much the conflict will escalate depends on them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with young soldiers to whom he spoke about bloodthirsty enemies attacking their country. "We will strike back powerfully and mercilessly and win!", Netanyahu told them, quoted by German public media ARD. When asked if they were ready to fight, they all answered in the affirmative.
Netanyahu points the finger at Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon - Israel's enemies, behind which Iran always hides. His country is determined to defend itself and win, the Israeli prime minister emphasized. The country's political and military leadership has made it clear that Israel will respond decisively to the Iranian attack since last weekend. But what exactly will he look like?
"We will respond. When, where and to what extent - we decide"
The military presented debris from an Iranian ballistic missile, and army spokesman Daniel Hagari made it clear: "The direct fire on Israel with 110 ballistic missiles will not go unpunished. We will answer. When, where and to what extent - we decide."
Apparently, the decision has already been made, claims the news TV channel NTV, citing the Israeli state television and the newspaper "Jerusalem Post". This newspaper says that there are currently no signs of an imminent massive attack, and Israel's response may still be delayed.
But what might an Israeli counterattack look like? You will regularly hear speculation that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities, missile installations, or drone factories. There is also speculation in the Israeli media about targeted deadly strikes against leading figures from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or about a large-scale cyber attack.
According to "Jerusalem Post" key political figures in Israel made it clear that the Israeli Air Force would play an important role in the retaliatory strike. Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Tuesday: "The Iranians have failed in their attack, they cannot intimidate Israel. The skies above the Middle East are wide open for the military air force (of Israel - b.r.). Any enemy who pursues us will be struck down wherever he is."
A direct attack on Iranian territories poses a serious risk of escalation
Military experts also believe that Israel has several options. The first and most obvious is to attack Iranian territory directly. But such an attack carries a serious risk of another Iranian attack and spiraling into an escalation, as Orna Mizrahi, a woman with an army uniform who now works as an analyst at Tel Aviv University, told a TV show.
"Another option is not to give a classic military response in the direct way, but for our reaction to damage Iranian interests and for this response to be clearly understood. To that end, we don't necessarily have to strike Iran directly. This thing can also happen elsewhere," says Mizrahi, quoted by ARD.
She is referring to possible military strikes by Israel against Iran's allies such as Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the various armed groups in Syria and Iraq. Experts overwhelmingly believe that such attacks carry less risk of escalation than a direct strike by the Israeli military against Iran. Israel's partners, and first of all the most important among them - the USA, explicitly warn that a large-scale fire should not break out. And the government in Jerusalem should not ignore such warnings, according to Yakov Amidror, a reserve general and former national security adviser.
"We have to consider what our US friends say, but ultimately the responsibility for Israel's security rests with our prime minister, not the US president,'' Amidror said. However, he does not believe that a regional war will break out. "Because the Iranians already know the limit of their capabilities after the failed attack on Israel."