It was clear that Israel would retaliate. It initially remained unclear whether the Prime Minister would leave this reaction alone.
The war cabinet met three times in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Joav Gallant and Minister without Portfolio Benny Gantz had weighed scenarios for a military retaliation after Iran fired more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in an unprecedented attack on Sunday night. Ultimately, they had to choose between responding as forcefully as possible in order to restore deterrence against the regime in Tehran and massive pressure from Israel’s allies, especially US President Joe Biden, to react in a measured manner so that further escalation could be avoided – a major war in which America, along with the states in the region, would also be drawn into.