Watan-The Israeli Channel 14 stated that the Israeli Security Cabinet, the “Knesset,” decided to attack Iran tonight after it launched a barrage of missiles and dozens of drones in the first confrontation at this level between Israeli occupation and Iran.
An Israeli official confirmed that a response is forthcoming but did not confirm or deny the accuracy of Channel 14’s report about a potential attack tonight. The Israeli War Cabinet meeting concluded on Sunday without making a decision on how Israel would respond to the Iranian attack, and the government is determined to respond, but it has not yet decided on the timing and scope.
The Middle East plunged into uncertainty after Iran fired dozens of missiles towards Israel late on Saturday.
According to CNN, Tehran said a “new equation” in its hostile relationship with Israel had opened and warned of a “much bigger” attack if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to launch a reciprocal attack.
No escalation with Iran
Separately, a senior official in the Biden administration told journalists that an Israeli official informed the United States that they do not seek a significant escalation of confrontation with Iran.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel “will exact a price from Iran in a way and at a time that suits us.”
🚨🚨🚨 القناة 14 الاسرائيلية: إسرائيل الهجوم على إيران الليلة.#المنشر_الاخباري #إيران pic.twitter.com/KiFktCvmp8
— Elmanshar | المنشر (@El_manshar) April 14, 2024
The retaliatory Iranian attack had been anticipated since the suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month.
Leaders in the US Congress from both parties rushed to condemn the Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel on Saturday, but they remained divided on how to pass additional funding to Israel in the aftermath of the attacks.
According to The Guardian, the airstrikes, the first direct attack ever on the occupied entity by Iran, led to the emergence of a long-standing shadow war into the open and threatened to escalate the region into a broader conflagration, with Israel saying it is considering its response.
Iran vows
Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Mohammad Baqeri, told state television, “Our response will be much larger than the military action tonight if Israel responds to Iran,” adding that Tehran warned Washington that any support for Israeli retaliation would result in targeting US bases.
Iranian officials also said that regional neighbors were informed several days before the airstrikes. Speaking to foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran also informed the United States that its strikes on Israel would be “limited” and for self-defense.