Israel’s most senior general said yesterday there would be a response to Iran’s missile and drone attack but it remained unclear what form it would take and whether it would be forceful enough to tip the worsening violence into a full-scale regional war.
US officials said yesterday that some form of counter to Iran’s attack, which involved over 300 missiles and drones , was almost inevitable but the Biden administration was still hoping it would be a limited counter-strike not aimed at Iranian territory.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff , Lt Gen Herzi Halevi , gave the clearest confirmation so far since the attack that Israel would strike back. “This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response,” Halevi said, speaking from the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel, which was lightly damaged in the Iranian attack.
Israel’s war cabinet met for the fourth time in the last two days yesterday afternoon, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz , a former defence minister and centrist Netanyahu rival, once again discussed how to walk the tightrope between escalation and deterrence .
“We respect that that’s a decision the war cabinet, the prime minister, have to make. We know that they live in a very tough neighbourhood,” the White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby , told CNN yesterday.
This story is from the April 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the April 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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