Middle East crisis: Israel explores response options to Iranian attack amid US pressure

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

For the second day following the Iranian attack on Israel, the Israeli War Cabinet continues its deliberations on how to respond to Iran amid disagreements over the timing and nature of the response and under the pressure of the US threat of non-participation.

The mini-security cabinet, which includes coalition ministers, unanimously agreed on the necessity of a response, receiving security and military support, given that failure to do so would reflect Israeli weakness.

The divergence in position between the War Cabinet and the mini-security cabinet came at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reluctantly canceled the possibility of a response, following his conversation with the US president, while not hesitating to declare support for the response, through statements from officials in his office threatening that it would be painful.

This disagreement poses an obstacle to implementing any Israeli operation, as it is known that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and cabinet members Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz reject a response without American coordination and the support of the international coalition.

Washington's stance and political differences alone did not constitute the sole reason for Israel's failure to make a decision to respond.

Israeli research revealed that the Israeli army, which expressed absolute support for responding to Iran, developed more than one plan for it, but requested a delay in such an operation to allow for proper planning, especially after being surprised by the magnitude of the rockets and drones launched towards Israel.

Among the plans and scenarios prepared by the army are:

-         Using drones to destroy Iranian drone factories and warehouses.

-         Launching cyber-attacks against civilian infrastructure and ports.

-         Assassinating nuclear scientists.

-         Direct missile attacks by Israeli Air Force aircraft, proportional to Iranian attacks, to target specific strategic sites.

All of this coincides with demands from security and military officials to exploit the opportunity of the Iranian attack to launch a deterrent strike that would eliminate the Iranian nuclear program, which Tel Aviv has been planning for years.

These demands have met widespread warnings due to the implications and the danger they pose, which could lead to an inevitable war.