This was a response to the Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed several high-level Iranian commanders.
Iran’s retaliation could appear considerable. But Iran is all too familiar with Israel’s Iron Dome and its other air defense systems, which have intercepted many incoming projectiles. American and British aircraft, American warships and Jordanian forces also shot down some of the estimated 300 aerial threats.
Iran also warned everyone for weeks that the attack was imminent – giving Israel’s allies time to prepare – and avoided targeting civilian sites.
“Iran has done enough to be considered to have credibly responded to the Israeli strike on Damascus last week,” wrote Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, on significant escalation of Israel’s (or US/allies’) response.”
And then, as soon as the attack was over, Iran declared it was over. Iran called it a “limited operation.”
It was a response aimed at demonstrating his capabilities and saving face while avoiding – his government hopes – a further escalation.
But the scale of the barrage also increased the likelihood that some strikes would succeed and, indeed, some of them did, although initial reports indicated they caused little damage.
“Iran has really tried to overwhelm Israel’s air defense,” said Michael Horowitz, an analyst and intelligence official at security consultancy Le Beck International. written the on Sunday. “The idea that this was simply a symbolic attack, designed to fail, is false.”
If any of the strikes had injured Israelis, Israeli officials would be forced to save face in the face of their own escalation.
This last part now belongs to Israel.
Will Israel retaliate for reprisals?
Almost everyone hopes not.
The United States, Israel’s most important ally and the supplier of many components used by Israeli air defense systems to protect itself, has asked them not to do so.
“How the Israelis respond will be up to them. We understand that and respect that. But the president has been very clear: we are not seeking war with Iran,” White House spokesman John Kirby said. , on NBC. Meet the press.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignored US President Joe Biden’s calls for de-escalation in recent months, straining relations between the two leaders.
Biden has repeatedly called on Israel to end its scorched earth campaign in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. Israel’s retaliation for the attack killed more than 33,000 Palestinians and razed much of the territory, plunging them into near-starvation.
The response has been so severe that much of the global goodwill Israel enjoyed after the Hamas attacks has dissipated – nowhere more clearly than in the executive branch of the US government.
Netanyahu also faces serious challenges to his leadership at home.
On the day of the Iranian attack, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv to protest against Netanyahu’s government. Many of them were hostage families angry at Netanyahu’s handling of the crisis.
Some Israelis have also publicly accused Netanyahu’s hard line of antagonizing the Palestinians and Hamas. Netanyahu has significantly expanded his settlement activities, illegal under international law, in the West Bank, for example.
How Israel will react to this latest escalation is anyone’s guess. Israel’s national security minister called for a “crushing attack” on social media. But Benny Gantz, who is a member of the country’s war cabinet, was more measured in his response, saying only that Israel would “build a regional coalition” and respond to the attack “in the manner and within the time frame that suits us.” “.
Netanyahu said Thursday, anticipating Iran’s retaliation, that his country would be ready to respond.
“Whoever hurts us, we will hurt them,” he said. “We are ready to meet all the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
Israel and Iran have been at war for a while
Although a direct attack on Israel constitutes a major escalation, the two countries have been fighting each other for decades.
Iran’s Islamic government has considered Israel an enemy since it took control of the country in 1979. Israel had supported the former Iranian regime. Israel has since viewed Iran as an existential threat.
Iran has long supported anti-Israel militant groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. For its part, Israel has carried out strikes against Iranian allies in Syria and has worked to isolate Iran diplomatically, relying on its military rather than negotiations to try to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
businessinsider
