Despite its decision to respond to Iran’s attack, the Israeli government is faced with a dilemma: How to retaliate without escalating tensions that could lead to a wider conflict in the Middle East.

And while the war council is meeting again today, according to them New York Timesalready the decision to respond to Iran is considered taken as Israel has decided that it will not allow Iran to conclude that it can carry out attacks on Israeli soil. At the same time, according to Israeli officials, Israel does not want and cannot afford a major conflict with Iran while still waging war in Gaza while also confronting Iranian-backed armed groups along its border.

Yesterday’s cabinet weighed a number of options to achieve different strategic outcomes: preventing a similar attack in the future, appeasing their American allies, and avoiding all-out war

According to the New York Times, Israeli officials are considering the following options and their drawbacks:

  • Carrying out a strike on an Iranian target, such as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base, in a country outside of Iran such as Syria. The downside is that it doesn’t have the symmetry of a response like a direct Iranian attack on Israel.
  • Attack on a symbolic target inside Iran. However, such a move would likely require consultation with the US, which opposes such a strike.
  • Conducting a cyber attack on Iran’s infrastructure. The disadvantages of this particular attack include the possibility of exposing Israel’s cyber capabilities while it is not an immediate response to a major air strike like that of Iran.
  • Minor attacks inside Iran, including targeted assassinations, carried out by the Mossad. The downside of this particular attack is that Israel does not claim responsibility for such attacks.

Among other things, one option that falls on the table is that Israel does not respond, thus strengthening the alliances it has createdwhich could lead to Iran being contained through a more diplomatic approach, including a United Nations boycott of Iran.

The same time, the West is weighing new sanctions with the US saying the aim is to degrade Iran’s military capability.

The EU’s decision to extend sanctions against Iran was also announced yesterday by the head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrell.

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