Israel vows to ‘pay an exact price’ after unprecedented Iranian attack as world leaders call for restraint

CNN
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Israel has vowed to “pay an exact price” from Iran as it weighs a response to unprecedented nighttime drone and missile attacks in the face of international pressure to de-escalate tensions.

The night’s attacks, in which Tehran launched a series of attacks on Israel over five hours, threaten to tip the Middle East crisis into an unchecked regional war.

Israel’s wartime cabinet, authorized to respond to the attack, met on Sunday and one of its members, Benny Gantz, said “the incident is not over.”

He cited the need to “build a regional coalition and force a price from Iran in a way and when it suits us.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said earlier that Israel “thwarted this attack in an unprecedented manner,” but added that “we must be prepared for all scenarios.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his first comments: “We intercepted and we contained. Together we will win.”

Separately, an Israeli official told CNN that Israel would respond to the Iranian attack, but the scope of the attack has not yet been determined. The official said Israel had not yet decided whether to try to “break all the plates” or take more cautious action.

But Israel called on its Western allies on Sunday to de-escalate the tense situation and end, at least for now, a chapter of weeks of uncertainty and conflict stemming from Israel’s war with Hamas, which has killed more than 33,000 people. It is being Palestinians have settled in Gaza, creating a humanitarian disaster in the enclave.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes, expected since an apparent Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month, finally arrived late Saturday with 300 attacks, including about 170 drones and more than 120 ballistic missiles. More than 1,000 projectiles were launched towards mainland Israel. Israeli authorities said “99%” of the attacks had been stopped with the help of allies including the United States, Britain and France. The only reported injury was a 7-year-old girl who was seriously injured by shrapnel.

The retaliation exposed a long-standing secret conflict between the two countries and marked the first time the Islamic Republic launched a direct attack on Israel from within its borders.

Israel and Iran have long been rivals, but tensions escalated following the Hamas attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Iran supports a web of proxy forces across the Middle East that have frequently clashed with Israel since the attacks.

The wartime cabinet meeting lasted several hours and ended Sunday night without a decision on how Israel would respond, according to Israeli officials.

The war cabinet is determined to respond but has not yet decided on the timing or scope, officials said. One of the key dilemmas facing the cabinet is deciding how quickly Israel should respond. The official said the Israeli military was tasked with coming up with additional response options.

Iran said on Sunday that a “new equation” had opened in its hostile relationship with Israel, and warned of “even larger” attacks against the country if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decides to retaliate.

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Army said: “We have decided to create a new equation: Whenever and wherever the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, character, or people, we will retaliate.” ” he said. IRGC official Hossein Salami told Iranian state television. “Zionist regime” is the term Iran uses to refer to Israel.

Earlier, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sardar Bagheri said, “If the Zionist regime responds, the next operation will be even larger.”

Iran said its attack targeted an Israeli air base, from which it launched an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said an Iranian ballistic missile that reached Israel fell on an air base in southern Israel, causing only minor structural damage.

Bagheri said that from Iran’s perspective, the military operation against Israel is “over.” But in an interview with state-run IRINN television on Sunday, he stressed that Iranian forces remain on high alert and are ready to “act if necessary.”

The warnings come as Western countries urge Israel to step back from the brink of war with its enemies.

A White House official told CNN that after the attack, US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and made it clear that the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran.

Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he should consider Saturday night’s events a “victory” because Iran’s attack had largely failed, and instead acknowledged Israel’s “remarkable ability to defend and defeat even an unprecedented attack.” He said he had proven that.

Israel “does not want any serious escalation with Iran” to the United States, a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Sunday.

“They are trying to protect themselves and protect themselves,” the official said.

“The president has been very clear that we intend to support Israel’s defense. Last night, the president made it clear to the prime minister that we need to think carefully and strategically about the risk of escalation. ” the official added.

Meanwhile, Biden reiterated that the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies remains “ironclad.”

It provided a glimpse of the pressure Netanyahu faces at home, and two hardline government ministers called for a firm response. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for retaliation that would “reverberate throughout the Middle East” and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israel should “go crazy”.

There are also calls for restraint throughout the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Iran’s main rival in the region, stressed the importance of “preventing further escalation” of the crisis, while Qatar, which enjoys close economic ties with Iran, expressed “deep concern”. The United Arab Emirates warned of “new levels of instability” if the incident is not ended.

Earlier this month, Iran accused Israel of bombing its diplomatic mission in Syria and vowed to retaliate.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said at the time that an airstrike destroyed its consulate in the capital Damascus, including the top commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Mohamed Reza Zahedi, and senior commander Mohamed Hadi Hadji Rahimi. At least seven officials were announced dead.

Zahedi, a former Revolutionary Guard ground and air force commander and deputy commander for operations, is the most high-profile figure since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. became a target for Iranians who gathered 2020.

This is a developing story and is being updated.