Israel Faces A Shakespearean Dilemma After Iran's Salvo
The Independent|April 17, 2024
Israel's current Iran policy conundrum can be concisely summed up by paraphrasing Prince Hamlet: "To retaliate or not to retaliate, that is the question.
ALON PINKAS
Israel Faces A Shakespearean Dilemma After Iran's Salvo

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.”

Two significant paradigm shifts occurred in the last two weeks in the semi-belligerent Israeli-Iranian relationship. The first was Israel’s 1 April strike against Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps generals in an annexe of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, killing four. It was an expression of “strategic proportionality”, meaning that Israel hit Iran directly, rather than its proxies throughout the Middle East, as it has done before. Israel has operated against Iran inside Iranian territory before – but that was part of a decades-long covert war. That war had rules of the game and rules of engagement. That mould was broken in Damascus.

This story is from the April 17, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 17, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE INDEPENDENTView All
Salah's touchline tantrum hints at deeper Reds split
The Independent

Salah's touchline tantrum hints at deeper Reds split

In a sense, Mohamed Salah's season has come full circle. It started with a display of dissent amid a substitution in London, the Egyptian contriving to rip a rather small bandage into an absurdly high number of pieces when taken off at Chelsea.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 30, 2024
Arsenal's derby grit bodes well for draining title race
The Independent

Arsenal's derby grit bodes well for draining title race

It was a joke that Mikel Arteta probably wouldn’t have made had this game gone a different way.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 30, 2024
Delivery firm Getir to quit UK with 1,500 jobs at risk
The Independent

Delivery firm Getir to quit UK with 1,500 jobs at risk

Grocery delivery firm Getir is to leave the UK, Europe and the US to focus solely on its home market in Turkey, bringing an end to its rapid expansion across the regions since the pandemic.

time-read
1 min  |
April 30, 2024
Way to go, Michelangelo
The Independent

Way to go, Michelangelo

'The last decades', a new British Museum exhibition, strives to make the artist's work immersive from the powerful works to the much more saccharine pieces, writes Mark Hudson

time-read
4 mins  |
April 30, 2024
No, Jerry, the left and 'PC crap' aren't killing comedy
The Independent

No, Jerry, the left and 'PC crap' aren't killing comedy

Seinfeld's rant is ludicrous and ignores the fact the industry has policed itself when it goes too far, writes Adam White

time-read
4 mins  |
April 30, 2024
'People say we're destroying football - I think it's absurd'
The Independent

'People say we're destroying football - I think it's absurd'

Humphrey Ker, actor, writer and affable executive director of Wrexham speaks to Jessie Thompson about stress, top-flight ambitions and not being part of the fairytale for much longer

time-read
8 mins  |
April 30, 2024
Are airlines getting tighter with their luggage rules?
The Independent

Are airlines getting tighter with their luggage rules?

Q I fly frequently, using different UK airports and airlines. In the past few weeks I have lost count of the number of occasions when angry/upset passengers are told at the departure gate they must pay £40 or £50 for an oversized cabin bag.

time-read
1 min  |
April 30, 2024
Like Clarkson, I decided to reinvent myself in midlife
The Independent

Like Clarkson, I decided to reinvent myself in midlife

Ten years ago, Grant Feller watched his salary plummet to less than his teen daughter's nannying job. With no income and no clients, here's how he went from panic to six figures

time-read
7 mins  |
April 30, 2024
HANDLE WITH CARE
The Independent

HANDLE WITH CARE

Oscar winner Emma Stone has expressed a preference for 'Emily' rather than the acting moniker she was forced to adopt early on. Helen Coffey ponders the power of names

time-read
4 mins  |
April 30, 2024
Trump and DeSantis 'make peace' after primary feud
The Independent

Trump and DeSantis 'make peace' after primary feud

Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis have met privately for the first time since their bruising battle in the Republican presidential primaries.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 30, 2024