Israel’s war cabinet met to discuss possible responses to a massive overnight Iranian drone and missile attack, with US President Joe Biden urging restraint as the Middle East edged closer to full-blown regional war.

Jerusalem

Israel's war cabinet convened to consider potential retaliatory measures following a significant drone and missile assault by Iran. The attack, characterized as massive and conducted overnight, has heightened tensions in the Middle East, pushing the region toward the brink of a comprehensive regional conflict. In the midst of this escalating situation, US President Joe Biden has called for moderation, advocating for restraint in response to the aggression.



Israel weighs response to attack by Iran

Israel says the damage was limited, despite the size and scale of the attack by Iran. One child was injured in the town of Arad in southern Israel, when shrapnel from a ballistic missile intercepted by the Israeli military fell on her home. Many rockets approached, and this one fell. It happened at around 1.30 in the morning. The children were taken to shelters in Arad, and I waited here. The attack was the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel from Iranian soil. Attack drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were launched from Iran and its allies. In these actions, our forces, with precision, used both drones and missiles to target a military site in Israel which houses F-35 jets. They had used this site to attack a consulate in Damascus, and it was this site which we struck. In Tehran, the attacks were celebrated by government supporters who said they were satisfied with the response. The assault was retaliation for what Iran said was the Israeli bombing of the Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this month. I've not seen people this happy about a war before. People have given up their sleep to be here and show how important this war is to us, and how glad we are about this attack on Israel. The Israeli military says that the vast majority of Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted outside Israel's territory, such as this one in Erbil in northern Iraq. Last night, Iran launched an attack against Israel and launched more than 300 threats of various kinds. The Iranian threat met the air and technological superiority of the IDF, combined with a strong fighting coalition. U.S. President Joe Biden phoned Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm what he called America's ironclad support. Leaders in Britain, Canada and the European Union condemned Iran's actions as reckless, unacceptable and destabilizing for the region. Israel has signaled it will respond to Iran's attack. How and when will be decided by the country's war cabinet. As international calls for a restraint increase, it's hoped a direct war between the two countries can be prevented. Victoria Gatenby, Al Jazeera. Let's bring in Hamda Salhoud in Tel Aviv. So Hamda, the Israeli war cabinet meeting to decide on a response. What's likely to come out of it? Well, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has released a statement. But before we get into what he said, this is a meeting of the war cabinet that is just Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, the defense minister, Yoav Galant and Benny Gantz, a war cabinet minister. This in in this group of individuals, they are the ones who are going to decide if there is sort of any sort of response to the Iranians. But Benny Gantz releasing a statement saying that, in fact, there will be a response at a time and place of Israel's choosing. He said that what happened yesterday was a test of Israel's military capabilities and they succeeded. But it needs to be strengthened. And along those lines, there needs to be more strategic partnerships created in the region to assist Israel, because he says Iran is a global problem. Now, there have been reports that after conversations with American counterparts like Netanyahu speaking with U.S. President Joe Biden and Yoav Galant speaking with Lloyd Austin, that perhaps they deterred them from having a response almost immediately. But again, there are a lot of moving parts here. A lot is still up in the air. And the Israelis are saying that this is far from over. What's been the impact, Hamda, of the Iranian attack on Israel? All schools and daycares closed. The airspace has reopened. But how much disruption has there been? Well, those guidelines went into effect before the attack even took place. Schools, kindergartens, daycares and universities all canceled until Monday evening. Gatherings of a thousand people are banned, meaning that demonstrations against Israel's government cannot take place. We've been seeing those on almost a daily and weekly basis. But in terms of damage, there has been shrapnel that has been found all over the country, remnants of a ballistic missile that was found in the Dead Sea. But Israeli society is on edge. They are afraid of some sort of wider regional conflict, of some sort of broader war throughout the region if Israel responds. And then there is another retaliation from the Iranians, as they have said there would be. So there are still a lot of moving parts. Israel's war cabinet is going to have to make a lot of important decisions that might reshape history as we know it in the Middle East. Hamda, thank you very much for bringing us the latest there from Tel Aviv.

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