Israel weighs options after Iran's missile strike tension
Israel is still "considering very carefully" its response to Iran's recent missile attack, CIA Director William Burns reported on Monday, as quoted by CNN.
6:31 AM EDT, October 8, 2024
During a national security conference held in Sea Island, Georgia, William Burns addressed the difficult situation in the Middle East. He emphasized that although neither Israel nor Iran seeks a full-scale war, the risk of unintentional conflict escalation "is a very real threat."
"You can see the potential for inadvertent collisions, misunderstandings, actions that take on the life of their own," the CIA chief noted.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that he would not support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, it is unclear whether the Biden administration has persuaded the Israeli authorities to abandon the considered military operation, reported CNN.
In turn, the Israeli defense minister emphasized in an interview with CNN on Sunday that the response to Iranian aggression can take various forms. "Everything is on the table," he said, adding that Israel "can strike targets both near and far" and "will not sit idly by."
The missile attack occurred on October 1, when nearly 200 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel. Most of them were intercepted. Tehran announced that the attack was in response to the killing of leaders of the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Palestinian Hamas, and an Iranian general. The Jewish state promised retaliation.
