Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced on Monday that Israel would respond to the Iranian attack that took place on the night from Saturday to Sunday. At the Nevatim air base in central Israel, Halevi said that “the firing of so many rockets and drones into Israeli territory must be met with a response.”
– Iran wanted to harm the strategic capabilities of the state of Israel – something that had not happened before. We were prepared for this thanks to Operation Iron Shield, Halevi said, referring to Israel's defensive actions during the Iranian attack.
– Last Monday we knew what was threatening us, and we believe that the state of Israel is very strong and knows how to deal with it alone, but in the face of such a strong threat, we are always glad that the United States is with us – said the Israeli chief of staff army.
The Nevatim base was hit by an Iranian missile attack, and the Israeli army reported minor infrastructure damage.
Decision of the war cabinet
Israel's Channel 12 reported that the decision to strike Iran “strongly” was made by Israel's war cabinet meeting on Monday. According to the station, Tel Aviv's response will be aimed at sending a signal that Israel “will not allow an attack on it of this scale to go unreacted.”
An Iranian missile fired towards Israel, photographed over the Gaza StripPAP/EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israel's retaliatory action is also intended as a warning that Israel will not allow the Iranians to “establish symmetry,” which Tehran has been talking about in recent days when it threatened that future Israeli attacks on Iranian territory, including its international diplomatic headquarters, would henceforth meet again with Iranian retaliatory attacks on Israel.
According to Channel 12, Israeli Defense Minister Joaw Galant and Halevi believe that Israel must respond, but without harming the US-led coalition that helped Israel defend against the Iranian attack.
The war cabinet also emphasizes that Israel does not want its response to trigger a regional war and intends to coordinate its actions with the US, although on Sunday US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would not take part in a possible Israeli counterattack on Iran.
According to the Israeli station, another meeting of the war cabinet is scheduled for Tuesday.
Main photo source: ATEF SAFADI/PAP