RESPONSE TO ATTACK BY TEHRAN WILL BE PAINFUL , ISRAEL SAYS
▶ Netanyahu and cabinet seek options short of war to punish Iran for Saturday’s strike, as US claims it did not receive regime’s 72-hour warning
Israel’s war cabinet met yesterday to discuss how to respond to Iran’s attack on Saturday.
The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed retaliation options that are intended to be “painful” to Iran without sparking a full-blown war, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly told US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Sunday that Israel had no choice other than respond to Iran after it launched hundreds of missiles and drones.
It was Tehran’s first known direct attack against Israel and marked the start of a new chapter in the confrontation between the two countries.
Tehran has claimed that it gave its neighbours advanced warning of the attack, showing its desire to prevent a full-scale war with Israel.
Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials confirmed that Tehran gave notice several days before the attack.
But US officials denied Tehran’s claim and accused it of attempting to inflict considerable damage on Israel. Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, on April 1, and that any further escalation would depend on the Israeli response.
Most of the drones and missiles were shot down before reaching Israeli territory, but a young girl was injured.
“Iran had issued the necessary warnings before the military action,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said yesterday. “Iran does not seek to develop tension in the region.”
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who made phone calls to regional counterparts explaining Tehran’s position, said Iran gave fair warning to countries of the region and the US.
“About 72 hours before the … operation, Iran informed the neighbours that Iran’s response is definite and certain in the form of legitimate defence”, he told state-run media.
Last week, Israel said it would retaliate with an attack on Iranian territory if it were attacked by Tehran, despite US concerns about a broader conflict, sources said.
In Ankara, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said it had spoken to both Washington and Tehran before the attack.
It conveyed messages as an intermediary to be sure reactions were proportionate, it added.
“Iran said the reaction would be a response to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Damascus and that it would not go beyond this. We were aware of the possibilities. The developments were not a surprise,” a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters.
One senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said Washington has contact with Iran through Swiss intermediaries but did not receive notice of the attack 72 hours in advance.
“That is absolutely not true,” the official said. “They did not give a notification, nor did they give any sense of … ‘these will be the targets, so evacuate them.’” Iran sent the US a message only after the strikes began and the intent was to be “highly destructive” said the official, adding that Iran’s claim of a widespread warning may be an attempt to compensate for the lack of any major damage on Israel by the attack.
Following the weekend attack, Iran was quick to increase its diplomatic contacts with its regional neighbours, with Mr Amirabdollahian speaking with his Saudi and Qatari counterparts on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from Mr Amirabdollahian.
“During the call, repercussions from developments in the situation in the region and the increasing escalation against the backdrop of the crisis in Gaza Strip were discussed,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry expressed its deep concern over regional developments and gave its commitment to “support efforts at achieving stability on all levels” during discussions with Mr Amirabdollahian, Qatari state media reported.
Iran’s Foreign Minister made phone calls to regional counterparts to warn them of the attack, Tehran’s state media said