Iran is putting Israel to the test. How will the military respond to the attack? A Middle East war should be avoided. There are various scenarios in the room.
Tel Aviv – How Israel will respond to Iran's attacks is still unclear. Iran fired over 300 projectiles, drones and rockets at Israel - a massive attack on the Israeli state. According to initial statements from the Israeli Army (IDF), Iraq, Syria, Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon were also involved. Experts have now given their assessment of what Israel's response could look like. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, sought to appease Israel to avoid a major escalation between Iran and Israel.
After Iran attack: Israeli air strikes likely as a counterattack
Some U.S. military officials appear to agree that Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets outside Iran are most likely,
NBC News
reports. Before Iran fired its missiles at the Israelis, there were already discussions between the Israeli military and the US about a possible response to such an attack.
However, a senior U.S. military official noted on
NBC News
that Israel's decision may have changed since the attack. Several scenarios were discussed between Israel and the USA. From a relatively small attack by Iran, to a large-scale offensive with Israeli casualties and destroyed facilities.
War against Iran: Israel is planning several scenarios - in advance of the attacks
Therefore, Israel's discussed options for responding to an attack by Iran were also very different and varied greatly in scope. Everything from military action against Iran to air strikes within Iranian territory was discussed, the military said.
And since Saturday's (April 13) Iranian attack resulted in no Israeli casualties and minimal damage, the military official concluded that there will only be a relatively mild response from Israel to avoid further escalating the conflict. There was only minor damage to the Nevatim air base, but this did not further restrict the base's operations, as IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari announced in a statement.
Although Iran was unable to cause significant damage, Tehran still gleaned a lot of information from the attack that could weaken Israel. "The attack likely helped Iran reveal potential strengths and weaknesses of Israel's air defenses," according to an April 14 report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Defense of Israel successful - but the Israeli state must remain on guard
Therefore, despite Israel's impressive defense of its airspace - 99 percent of Iran's missiles and drones have been shot down - it must remain on guard. The ISW compares the situation with the Russian attacks in the Ukraine war. “The Russians have repeatedly used such an approach against Ukraine,” the ISW report on the situation in Israel continued. “The purpose of such an attack is for the slower cruise missiles and drones to distract and overwhelm air defenses so that the ballistic missiles, which are much more difficult to shoot down, can reach their targets.”
It is still unclear when exactly an Israeli counterattack can be expected. However, experts expect a military response soon. IDF spokesman Hagari said the Israeli army will “do everything necessary” to defend Israel “at the time we choose.”
(SiSchr)