The Israeli military, with the support of its allies, shot down most of Iran’s missiles, but now the IDF demands a strike. Photo: REUTERS
But for now we are only talking about a decision in principle, while the forms of a retaliatory attack against Iran are still being discussed. The Israeli War Cabinet completed its fifth meeting on this issue without reaching agreement on a final version. Earlier, a source in Netanyahu’s office said that Israel was going to consult with all its partners, but ultimately the decision on what the response would be was up to him. Israel cannot allow such a major attack without some kind of response, small or large, he said. The military demands the toughest response. In any case, the decision will be made by the military cabinet, which includes Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, an opponent of the Israeli prime minister who joined the Government as minister without portfolio after the Hamas attack. on October 7. 2023. The attacks began a spiral of violence that brought Israel and Iran to the brink of war.
For his part, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that even the smallest Israeli incursion would involve a “massive and harsh” response. Iranian navy chief Shahram Irani said on Wednesday that warships would be deployed to the Red Sea to escort Iranian commercial vessels.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned there would be a “massive and harsh” response to a possible Israeli attack.
The United States expects Israel’s response to be limited, sources told CNN on Wednesday. The US administration believes that the Israeli attack will not be carried out on the territory of the Islamic Republic, but against its forces in the region or formations friendly to Iran. The White House said it would not take any offensive action against Iran but would expand sanctions. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has signaled that new restrictions against the Islamic Republic will come into force in a few days, which could be aimed at reducing the country’s ability to export oil. Republicans in Congress are also considering a series of bills to increase pressure on Tehran.
Washington’s sanctions on Iran already ban nearly all U.S. trade with the country, block Iranian government assets in the United States and prohibit U.S. aid and arms sales to Tehran. Peter Harrell, a former U.S. National Security Council official, told Reuters that options for new U.S. sanctions include targeting Iranian oil flows and a more aggressive “whack-a-mole” operation to go after companies. screen and financiers of Iran. According to him, one of the most important steps for Washington would be to force the European Union and other Western allies to impose multilateral sanctions against Tehran, since most of the sanctions currently in force against Iran are unilateral measures adopted by Washington.
