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Israel abandoned plans for an extensive retaliation against Iran last week amid diplomatic pressure from allies after Tehran’s assault was thwarted, three senior Israeli officials reported.
Israel initially proposed bombing several military targets across Iran, including near Tehran, but decided against such a broad and damaging attack as it risked triggering a forceful Iranian counterstrike that could have plunged the Middle East into a major regional conflict, the officials, who were not named, told the New York Times.
Following interventions from President Joe Biden as well as British and German foreign ministers, Israel opted against sending fighter jets into Iranian airspace to avoid further escalation.
Instead, it fired a small number of missiles from aircraft positioned several hundred miles west of Iran, the officials said, as well as a fleet of small attack drones, called quadcopters, to confuse Iranian air defences.
One missile hit an anti-aircraft battery in a strategically significant part of central Iran, while another blew up in midair, with one official reporting the Israeli air force intentionally destroyed the latter to avoid causing too much damage.
Israel’s aim was to avoid further escalation while signaling that it had the ability to strike Iran without entering its airspace or setting of its aid defence batteries, the officials said. The location of the strike, close to several major nuclear facilities, was also significant, indicating Israel could hit the nuclear plants if it wished too.
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