JERUSALEM – Israel’s military chief said on Monday that his country would respond to Iran’s attack over the weekend, but did not detail when and how world leaders called against retaliation, trying to avoid a spiral of violence in the Middle East.
The Iranian attack on Saturday came in response to a suspected Israeli attack two weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed two Iranian generals. It was the first time Iran had launched a direct military attack on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel in the attack. The Israeli military stated that 99% of the drones and missiles were intercepted by Israel’s own air defenses and warplanes and in coordination with a US-led coalition of partners.
Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is considering its next steps but that the Iranian attack “will have a response.”
Halevi did not provide details. Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel will respond “at a time we choose.”
The two men spoke at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which Hagari said suffered only light damage in the Iranian attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been meeting with senior officials to discuss a possible response. For the second day in a row, the government made no announcements about any decisions.
In a conversation with US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Netanyahu said that “Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself,” the prime minister’s office announced.
Although Israeli leaders have suggested retaliation, the government is under intense international pressure not to further escalate the conflict – especially after the Iranian attack caused so little damage.
The US has urged Israel to show restraint as it seeks to build a broad diplomatic response.
While Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said any response is up to Israel to decide, he added: “We don’t want to see an escalation, but we will obviously take whatever steps are necessary to protect our forces in the region. ”
Pressed at a briefing on whether such a response would jeopardize stability in the region, Ryder said the US “will remain in close consultation with our Israeli partners, as we have throughout the weekend. Again, we are not looking for broader regional conflicts.”
The US has also worked in recent years to strengthen ties between Israel and moderate Arab states in an alliance to combat Iran.
Much of this cooperation has been under the aegis of US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East. Centcom works closely with militaries across the region, including Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
The US, Britain and Jordan – a key American ally in the region – said their air forces helped intercept Iranian missiles and drones. Halevi said France and “other partners” were involved and noted that “Iran’s attack created new opportunities for cooperation in the Middle East.”
Iranian weapons also flew across Saudi skies, according to a map released by the Israeli military. Israel claims that most of the interceptions took place outside Israeli airspace, indicating at least tacit cooperation with the Saudis.
A unilateral Israeli attack could harm these behind-the-scenes contacts, especially with countries like Saudi Arabia, which do not have official diplomatic relations with Israel. It could also run the risk of opening a new front with Iran, at a time when Israel is mired in a six-month war inside Gaza against Hamas militants.
Israel and Iran were on a collision course during the Gaza war. The war broke out after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and caused widespread devastation.
Throughout the war, Israel has exchanged fire across its northern border with Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, while Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Yemen have also attacked Israel. The friction has maintained fears of a potentially destructive all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, or a broader direct confrontation between Israel and Iran.
World leaders pressured Israel not to attack Iran.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “all parties must show restraint” to avoid an escalating spiral of violence in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will try to “convince Israel that we should not respond through escalation.”
In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to say Monday whether the US has been or expects to be briefed on any Israeli response plans. “Let’s let the Israelis talk about it,” he said.
“We are not involved in the decision-making process about a potential response,” Kirby said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was not seeking escalation but said it would continue to support Israel’s security. He promised to intensify diplomatic efforts against Iran.
“Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report from Washington.
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