Israel launched drone or missile attacks against Iran early Friday morning. The attacks reportedly targeted a military facility near the city of Isfahan. In the aftermath, “Iran played down the attack and indicated it had no plans for retaliation,” Reuters reported.
Our Take
The biggest question mark following Iran’s attack on Israel last Saturday was how Israel would respond. The rhetoric of Israel’s military and political leaders in recent days suggested that Israel could have trouble striking a balance between its stated need to respond to Iran’s attack and the desire do so in a way that was non-escalatory. While it’s still too early to know for sure, it appears that both sides have found a mutually acceptable way to end the standoff.
According to some initial reports, Israel launched suicide drones from within Iranian territory. That is not unprecedented, but would serve as a reminder that Israel has that capability. Other reports suggest the strike was launched by Israeli aircraft that traveled through Syrian and Iraqi airspace to reach Iran. If so, it would serve as a thinly veiled warning about Israel’s ability to do so, especially given the presence of an Iranian nuclear facility in the Isfahan area.