Israel on Friday downplayed reports of an airstrike against Iran that appeared to have hit targets near the country’s suspected nuclear program, appearing to cast the operation as evidence that Israel could reach the site rather than a full-scale attack.
As Breitbart News noted, there were media reports that Israeli drones, or missiles, struck targets near Iran’s Isfahan, near the Natanz nuclear facility, as well as targets in Syria and Iraq. Israeli Army Radio repeated these reports.
However, there were no reports on the extent of the damage, and one member of the Israeli parliament, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, said: Posted On Twitter/X, this attack isScarecrow,” or “uncool.”
The post appears to represent an admission by Israel that it was indeed the source of the attack, which was a response to a major Iranian missile and drone attack last weekend that Israel intercepted. It should be.
Some in Israel wanted a stronger response, seeing it as an opportunity to target Iran’s nuclear program and even the regime itself, while also demonstrating Iran’s limits and Israel’s capabilities. Some thought that alone was enough.
The US appears to have dissuaded Israel from a strong response, with President Joe Biden reportedly telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to react and that the US would not join in any counterattack by Israel. .
But Israel had already promised to respond to any attack from Iranian territory with a direct attack on Iran, as most missiles and drones did. Israeli military leaders reaffirmed that pledge this week.
There have been reports that Israel has agreed to limit its response to Iran in exchange for US approval for an operation to destroy the last Hamas battalion in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
The United States may have threatened to allow the passage of a UN Security Council resolution recognizing a Palestinian state if Israel did not restrain itself. Until hours before the vote, the administration was cautious about whether to veto the resolution.
The most immediate threat to Israel’s security is Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization on its northern border. As Breitbart News reported this week, about 60,000 Israelis remain refugees from Israel’s northern border towns. Hezbollah continues to fire missiles, rockets and drones against these communities, and Israel is also fighting back. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Israeli special forces were operating in the Lebanese border area.
The priorities for the Israelis are ending Hamas, rescuing hostages, driving Hezbollah back from the border, and eliminating the threat to shipping from Yemen’s Houthis.
Iran supports all these groups, but has so far remained at arm’s length.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of a recently published e-book.The Zionist conspiracy (and how to join it)‘ is now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
