Israel says it will respond to Iran attack 'when time is right'
Israel is weighing possible responses to Iran's attack with hundreds of drones and
missiles, amid growing calls for restraint to avert a wider war.
Israel and its allies shot down nearly all
projectiles fired in the first ever direct Iranian attack on Israel.
The US has said it will not take part in
any Israeli response, to avoid an escalation in regional hostilities.
Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz said
the country would "exact the price" from Iran when timing is right.
For almost two weeks Iran had telegraphed
its plans to respond to the 1 April air strike on its diplomatic compound in
the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed several military advisors, including
two top generals. Iran blamed Israel for the attack, saying it was equivalent
to a strike on its own soil.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman
for the Israeli military, said Iran fired around 300 explosive drones, cruise
and ballistic missiles, but that 99% of them were intercepted by Israel,
supported by US, British, Jordanian and other allied forces.
In Jerusalem, the air raid sirens went off
at around 01:45, followed by loud blasts after the air defence intercepted
projectiles over the city. A map published by the Israeli military showed the
entire country covered with red dots, symbolising areas at risk of being hit
and where residents were urged to seek shelter.
The
attack, in the end, had limited impact. A military base in the south sustained
minor damage, the Israeli military said, and a seven-year-old Israeli girl was
critically wounded by a missile that got through the defences.
In a phone
call overnight, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu America's "ironclad commitment" to the security of
Israel, but said the US would not support an Israeli retaliation.
Later, a
senior administration official said Israel's successful defence was already a
victory over Iran, and that the country should "think carefully"
about what it does next.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have been
high for decades and, since the start of the Gaza war, Iran's proxies in the
region - such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen - have carried
out attacks on Israel and on targets linked to Israel or its allies.
The
overnight attack, and the possibility of an Israeli response, risked putting
the two old enemies in open confrontation, and sparked a flurry of
international diplomatic activity aimed at reducing tensions.
Israel's five-member war cabinet - which includes Mr Gantz - met on Sunday to discuss a possible reaction, but no decision was made amid a division over the timing and scale of any such response, according to the Reuters news agency.
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