Israel Weighs Options of Cyberattacks On Iran To ‘Send A Message’
An official stated that everyone agrees that the nation must respond to the recent Iranian attack, but the question is how and when to respond. However, the United States, United Nations, and Israel’s European and regional allies have all called for restraint.
The attack, which lasted five hours, was in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed two senior commanders earlier this month. An international alliance, including the United States, France, Britain, and some countries in the Middle East, repelled the attack, which caused limited damage.
Iran’s Attack Helped
Notably, this expansive security cooperation provided Israel with a rare opportunity to assemble an anti-Iran coalition, in contrast to its recent isolation over the civilian toll in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Udi Sommer, a politics professor at Tel Aviv University and the City University of New York, described this as a huge opportunity, but warned that Israel must prioritize longer-term strategic considerations over a short-term show of strength. Furthermore, Sommer suggested that a restrained military response would benefit Israel on the world stage, helping it repair its frayed relationship with the United States and its Arab neighbors.
Sommer emphasizes the prudence of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s actions when Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein threatened Israel with scud missiles in the 1990s. He believes Shamir’s actions helped Israel improve regional peace treaties and strengthen international alliances.
The United States has pledged its full support for Israel, while urging de-escalation. Furthermore, the US has emphasized that it will not take part in any military response that Israel is planning.
