Military chief: Israel will respond to Iran’s attack
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military chief said Monday that his country will respond to Iran’s weekend attack, but he did not elaborate on when and how as world leaders urged against retaliation, trying to avoid a spiral of violence in the Middle East.
The Iranian attack Saturday came in response to a suspected Israeli strike two weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed two Iranian generals. It marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel in the attack. The Israeli military said 99% of the drones and missiles were intercepted, by Israel’s own air defenses and warplanes and in coordination with a U.S.led coalition of partners.
Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said
Monday that Israel is considering its next steps but that the Iranian strike “will be met with a response.”
Halevi gave no details. The army’s spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel will respond “at the time that we choose.”
Both men spoke at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which Hagari said suffered only light damage in the Iranian attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been huddling with top officials to discuss a possible response. For a second straight day, the government made no announcements on any decisions.
In a conversation with U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Netanyahu said “Israel will do whatever is required to defend itself,” the prime minister’s office announced.
While Israeli leaders have hinted at retaliation, the government is under heavy international pressure not to further escalate the conflict — especially after the Iranian strike caused such little damage.
The U.S. has urged Israel to show restraint as it seeks to build a broad diplomatic response. The Group of Seven advanced democracies issued a joint statement “unequivocally condemning in the strongest terms” the Iranian attack while expressing “full solidarity and support to Israel.”
The U.S. also has been working in recent years to strengthen ties between Israel and moderate Arab states in an alliance to counter Iran.
Much of that cooperation has been under the umbrella of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Centcom works closely with militaries across the region, including Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
The U.S., Britain and Jordan — a key American ally in the region — have all said their air forces helped intercept the Iranian missiles and drones. Halevia said France and “other partners” were involved, and he noted “Iran’s attack has created new opportunities for cooperation in the Middle East.”