By Athena Papakosta

For the third time in three days the supreme war council met yesterday in Tel Aviv considering his options following Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israeli soil last Saturday.

The international community remains awaiting Israel’s response. The United States and the European Union are calling for restraint on their Israeli allies while preparing sanctions. However, the final decisions will be made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s Defense Minister Yoav Galand and Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s political rival and member of the council.

The Israeli response seems to be a one-way street.

Early Tuesday evening, the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) clarified that Iran will not go unpunished. In particular, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari explained that “we will respond when and how we choose.”

A day earlier, Israel’s chief of military staff, Herji Halevi, had preceded and promised that Tehran’s attack on Israel “will be met with a response.”

It remains to be seen what that answer will be and when it will be given. The latest information is that Israel’s War Council has reached an agreement on the form of the attack and the target.

One option, analysts say, is a direct attack on Iran. A second option is to attack his representatives.

Experts expect Tel Aviv to choose the first option so that Israel by launching a direct attack on Iran will “equalize” Tehran which did the same, for the first time, last Saturday.

However, the question also remains how Israel will counterattack in an effective manner in order to give the message it wants to Tehran, but not to trigger a destructive further ignition in the region that will drag the rest of the Middle Eastern states into war.

The timing of the attack is also on the discussion table.

Members of Israel’s war council, such as Benny Gantz, are demanding an immediate response.

Their argument is that Israel must react now, that is, while the memory of Iran’s retaliation is still fresh.

At the same time, the other side within the war council advocates keeping Israel’s allies on the country’s side, and thus must, for the time being, listen to calls for restraint.

A further key argument of this side is that there were no casualties in contrast to the strike in Damascus for which Tehran blames Tel Aviv.

Iran, for its part, has declared, from the first moment, that if it is attacked, it will respond.

During his telephone conversation with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the president of Iran, Ibrahim Raishi, emphasized that any action against the interests of his country will be dealt with in a “severe, extensive and painful way” while, talking, also, in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin said Tehran was not interested in escalation with the Russian president warning him of the “catastrophic consequences” for the region.

At the same time, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Khani, said that if there is a response from Israel, Tehran’s counterattack, this time, will not wait an additional 12 days but will be “a matter of seconds” and the risk is uncontrollable. escalation remains high.