Tel-Aviv: As Israel is weighing an expected retaliation against Iran for its missile attack on October 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assured the Biden administration that he would only attack Tehran’s military and not its nuclear and oil facilities, said two officials familiar with the matter. The Washington Post.
This security has signaled that Israel wants to proceed with a more limited counterattack aimed at avoiding a full-scale war, which the region had been preparing for after Iran’s second direct missile attack on Israel in six months. It comes at a politically tense time for the United States, which is preparing for the highly anticipated presidential election in which former President Donald Trump would face Vice President Kamala Harris.
The United States has been privately urging Israel to calibrate its response to avoid triggering a broader war in the Middle East, officials say, and U.S. President Joe Biden has publicly expressed opposition to an Israeli strike on nuclear sites in Iran and his concern about an attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure. Biden and Netanyahu spoke last week in their first conversation in seven weeks amid rising tensions between the two leaders.
What did Netanyahu say to the United States?
During the call, Netanyahu said he planned to attack military infrastructure in Iran, according to a U.S. official and another official familiar with the matter. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that “we listen to the views of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest.”
The retaliatory action would be calibrated to avoid the perception of “political interference in the American elections,” one of the officials said, indicating that Netanyahu understands that the scope of the Israeli attack has the potential to reshape the presidential race. A direct attack on Iran’s oil facilities could have multiple repercussions, including skyrocketing energy prices, analysts say.
On the other hand, an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could erase any remaining red lines governing Israel’s conflict with Tehran, triggering further escalation and jeopardizing a more direct US military role. Instead of these possibilities, Netanyahu’s plan to attack Iranian military sites found relief from Washington.
Netanyahu was in a “more moderate place” in that discussion than before, the official said. The apparent softening of the prime minister’s stance influenced Biden’s decision to send a powerful missile defense system to Israel, both officials said.
When would Israel attack Iran?
The United States said Sunday it will send American troops and an advanced THAAD anti-missile system to Israel, in a highly unusual deployment aimed at bolstering the country’s air defenses following missile attacks by Iran. US President Joe Biden said the move was aimed at “defending Israel” after Iran fired nearly 200 missiles on October 1.
“At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and an associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following the unanswered attacks. Iran against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Sunday (local time).
The US official familiar with the matter said the Israeli strike would take place before the US elections on November 5, as Iran could interpret inaction as a sign of weakness. “It will be one of a series of responses,” he said.
Iran warns of tougher response
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned earlier on Sunday that the United States was putting the lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate American missile systems in Israel. “While we have made enormous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say clearly that we have no red lines in the defense of our people and our interests,” Araghchi posted on X.
Still, experts say Iran has tried to avoid a direct war with the United States, making the deployment of American forces in Israel another factor in its future calculations. Zohar Palti, former intelligence director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, said Netanyahu would need to balance Washington’s calls for restraint with public demand in Israel for an overwhelming response. “When we responded last time, they didn’t get the message,” Palti said. “So now the choice is between restraint or retaliation, and the answer is obvious.”
Currently, Israel fights on multiple fronts, primarily Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Israel expanded its targets in its war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north, health officials said, as millions of Israelis sheltered from shells fired across the border.
The Israeli military said some 115 projectiles fired by Hezbollah crossed from Lebanon into Israel on Monday. Israeli military operations in northern Gaza have also increased, with Israeli forces killing at least 10 people while queuing for food in Jabalia, according to Palestinian doctors.
(with contributions from the agency)
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