How and when will Israel respond to Iran?

The Israeli military cabinet meeting ended Sunday evening – it lasted several hours, but according to Western and Israeli media sources, no final decision has yet been made on how Israel will respond to an Iranian attack.

According to the CNN, the Israeli authorities intend to respond, but have not yet decided on the timing and scale, while the military, according to an anonymous interlocutor of the TV company, has been instructed to think through additional options for a response.

According to CNN analyst Barak Ravid, Israeli Ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot were in favour of quick action, but after a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, it was decided to postpone the response until Monday.

The “Times of Israel” reports that the military cabinet meeting lasted nearly three hours. According to Israel’s “Channel 12” TV, the cabinet will reconvene shortly.

According to U.S. officials, Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to carefully consider a response. The White House also warned Israel that the U.S. would not engage in retaliatory strikes against Iran, officials in Washington reported.

In a series of appearances on U.S. television stations, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. had made it clear to Israel that it sought to avoid escalation of the conflict. Administration officials said the same message had been conveyed to Iran through diplomatic channels.