Despite Western Pressure, Israel Resolute To Respond

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Monday he was concerned about Israel possibly targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.

Grossi told reporters in New York that Iran closed its nuclear facilities on Sunday over “security considerations.”

While they reopened on Monday, he kept IAEA inspectors away “until we see that the situation is completely calm.”

“We are going to resume tomorrow,” Grossi added. “This has not had an impact on our inspection activity.”

Asked about the possibility of an Israel strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, Grossi said, “We are always concerned about this possibility.”

Grossi also urged “extreme restraint.”

Israel’s Channel 12 has reported that the Israeli Air Force is completing preparations for its response to Iran’s attack. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Iranian Air Defense Forces have been placed on high alert.

The US was not informed by Iran in advance about its attack on Israel, the Pentagon said on Monday, adding that Washington did not seek a conflict with Tehran.

Israel will respond to Iran's weekend missile and drone attack on its territory, the military chief of staff said on Monday.

"This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response," Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, speaking from the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel, which sustained some damage in the attack.

Speaking after Israel’s War cabinet met for several hours, an official -- who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks -- said Israeli decision-makers believe it's important for any response to closely follow the attack. Several diplomatic and military options were examined during the cabinet meeting, the official said.

“Any response will be coordinated with the Americans,” the official added.

Opposition Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman says that the US recognizes Israel has no alternative but to hit back at Iran for the Saturday attack, and that Israel must seek “maximal coordination” with the US in doing so.

Liberman told Channel 12 Israel was only able to repel the Iranian missile and drone attack with the help of the Americans — including US interceptions, and crucially, US intel and early warning capabilities.

He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited him for a security briefing, but the timing has not yet been finalized. He says he will of course attend, given that this is “a time of war.” Israel is looking at options that would “send a message” but not cause casualties, he said.

According to The Washington Post, the war cabinet has decided to hit Iran back hard without rankling international allies. Citing an unnamed official, it said the options include a potential strike on a facility in Tehran or a cyberattack.

“Everybody agrees that Israel must respond,” the official said. “How to respond, when to respond, is the question.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday he would soon speak with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on how to prevent escalation in the region after Iran's drone and missile attack.

"I will also shortly be speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu to express our solidarity with Israel in the face of this attack, and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation," Sunak said in a statement to parliament.

"All sides must show restraint," he added.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Sunday that Israel has no choice but to respond to the missile and drone attack, a US official and another source briefed on the call told Axios.

The war cabinet has wrapped up its meeting scheduled to discuss Israel’s response to Iran’s attack.

Channel 12 reported that several options were discussed during the Monday session, with each of them being a “painful” retaliatory response against Iran but one that doesn’t spark a regional war.

The war cabinet also is aiming to choose a reaction to Saturday night’s Iranian missile and drone attack that won’t be blocked by the US, the network said.

While supporters of the Islamic Republic are celebrating Saturday’s missile attack on Israel, most ordinary Iranians are deeply concerned about the economic consequences of further escalation and possibility of a full-scale war.

However, there are numerous graffiti in Tehran calling for an Israeli attack.

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