Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to scrap a proposal for prompt retaliatory actions against Iran following a conversation with US President Joe Biden over the phone on Saturday night, as per Israeli officials who disclosed to the New York Times.
As reported by two unnamed officials, Netanyahu’s inner circle put forward various options in response to Iran’s significant drone and missile assault on Saturday evening. While there were advocates for an instant military retaliation among some members of the cabinet, Netanyahu opted against it at Biden’s urging, according to the sources.
On Sunday afternoon, Netanyahu convened his war cabinet to deliberate Israel’s reaction to the Iranian assault, as Iran’s chief military officer asserted that the “Zionist regime” had received sufficient “punishment,” affirming Tehran’s stance of refraining from further military engagement unless provoked by Israel.
Iran unleashed successive volleys of missiles and kamikaze drones towards Israel on Saturday, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reporting the launch of at least 300 projectiles. Despite the IDF’s claim of intercepting 99% of the incoming drones and missiles, video evidence depicted numerous impacts on Israeli territory.
