What will be Israel's response? Three categories of “wide range of goals”

After Tuesday's attack Middle East once again found himself on the brink of devastating war. This is one of the most dangerous moments for the entire region.

Iranwhich became an Islamic republic after the shah was overthrown in 1979, had long vowed to destroy the state Israelwhich he calls the “Zionist regime.” Israel accuses the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of spreading violence in the Middle East through its allies and proxies, a view shared by several Arab governments, the BBC wrote.

Israel is ready to retaliate against Iran Tuesday's launch of more than 180 ballistic missileswhich was supposed to be revenge for the killing of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. Most of the missiles were shot down by Israeli air defenses, probably with allied support. The Israeli army said there were no casualties, although local media reported the death of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank.

Israel, as well as its closest ally United Statesannounced their response to the missile launches. – Iran will pay a high price for this, said the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The restraint that Israel's allies urged it to exercise last time after a similar standoff in April is more muted this time, the BBC said. Given Israel's determination to fight all enemies at once – v LebanonGaza Strip, Yemen and Syria – Netanyahu's government seems to be in no mood to hold back, said the portal.

Israeli planners will likely now debate not whether and when to strike Iran, but how hard.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), supported by US satellite intelligence and Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) agents in Iran, have a wide range of targets to choose from, wrote the BBC, which divided them into three main categories:

Army – the first and obvious target will be the bases from which Iran launched ballistic missiles. This means launch pads, command and control centers, fuel tanks and storage bunkers. Israel could also go further and hit bases belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as air defense and other missile batteries. The target could be key people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, the BBC said.

Economy – this would include Iran's most sensitive state assets, i.e. petrochemical and energy plants, and perhaps a blow to its maritime interests. However, this would be a very unpopular move in Iran because it would negatively impact the lives of ordinary people much more than any attack on the military, the BBC said.

Nuclear program – this is the most important category for Israel. It is widely known that Iran enriches uranium at levels well in excess of the 20 percent needed to produce civilian nuclear energy. Israel and others suspect that Iran is trying to reach a “tipping point” where it will be able to build a nuclear bomb in a very short time. Israel's list of potential targets includes Parchin, the epicenter of Iran's military nuclear program, the research reactors in Tehran, Bonab and Ramsar, as well as major facilities in Bushehr, Natanza, Isfahan and Ferdous.

A large part of Israel's calculation will be to try to guess Iran's response and how to minimize its impact. Iran's position is that after firing missiles at Israeli military targets on Tuesday, the matter is now settled. Iran warns that if Israel retaliates, it will respond in kind.

– This is just a glimpse of our capabilities – said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reinforced this message, stating: “if the Zionist regime responds to Iran's actions, it will be met with withering attacks.”

As stated by the BBC, Iran is unable to defeat Israel militarily because its planes are old and dilapidated, its anti-aircraft defense is defective, and Tehran has been struggling with Western sanctions for years.

However, Iran still has a huge number of ballistic missiles, as well as explosive-laden drones and numerous allied fighter units in the Middle East. The next salvo of missiles may be aimed at Israeli residential areas rather than military bases.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, which operates in the Persian Gulf, has large flotillas of small, fast missile boats that could potentially defeat the defenses of the U.S. 5th Fleet. If ordered to do so, it could attempt to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, blocking up to 20 percent of the world's daily oil transport, which would have a huge impact on the global economy.

The BBC pointed out that in addition there are US military bases scattered throughout the Arab side of the Persian Gulf, from Kuwait after Oman. Iran has warned that if attacked, it will strike not only Israel but any country it deems supporting the attack.