Israel Lifts Air Raid Evacuation for Citizens... Iran Airstrikes Cease for Now but 'Fear of Escalation' Remains

On the 13th (local time), Iran's large-scale airstrike targeting mainland Israel came to an end. Israel, having intercepted most of Iran's hundreds of drones and missile attacks, has announced a strong response, raising concerns about escalation. The United States and the international community are expected to actively intervene to prevent further escalation.

According to the local media Times of Israel on the 14th (local time), Israel lifted the evacuation order issued to its citizens.

According to the media, the Israeli military stated in a press release that it intercepted the majority of the dozens of ballistic missiles launched by Iran toward Israel that day. The military explained that the missiles were shot down by the Arrow missile defense system before entering Israeli airspace. The Israeli military confirmed "some strikes were confirmed, and infrastructure at a military base in the south was slightly damaged."

On the 14th, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missile attacks on the Israeli mainland. The photo shows the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria, which was bombed by the Israeli military on the 1st, triggering this retaliatory airstrike. Several people, including senior officials of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in the bombing.

Iranian consulate in Syria destroyed by the bombing [Image source=Yonhap News]

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Israel's military response has been delegated to a three-member war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The war cabinet consists of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party and Netanyahu's political rival. Netanyahu declared early in the airstrikes that "we have decided on clear principles" and "we will harm anyone who harms us," signaling a policy of retaliation.

Israel has indicated that it will respond once the defense against Iran's airstrikes is complete. An Israeli official told CNN in an interview that Israel's security cabinet approved the war cabinet to decide on the response to the current situation. Netanyahu is also reported to have spoken with U.S. President Joe Biden. It has not yet been disclosed what recommendations President Biden made.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel [Photo by Yonhap News]

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Earlier, Iran launched more than 200 missiles and drones targeting Israel. Daniel Hagari, chief spokesperson for the Israeli military, explained, "Iran launched dozens of surface-to-surface missiles from its territory toward Israeli territory," adding, "Most of those missiles were intercepted by our air defense systems outside the Israeli border."

Major foreign media reported that this is the first full-scale military attack by Iran on mainland Israel since the two countries became hostile following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Given that Israel maintained friendly relations with Iran until the revolution, this marks Iran's first large-scale attack targeting Israeli territory since Israel's founding in 1948. Iran had vowed retaliation against Israel after a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in an Israeli bombing of Iran's consulate in Syria on the 1st of this month.

With pro-Iran armed groups in the Middle East such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, who had been waging a "shadow war" on Iran's behalf during the Israel-Hamas conflict, joining Iran's retaliation, the Middle East now stands at a crossroads of escalation.

The escalation depends on Israel's retaliatory response. If Israel undertakes a strong counter-retaliation, the Middle East could once again be engulfed in war. Both Israel and Iran have declared retaliation based on the Islamic law principle of "Qisas" (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth), raising concerns about escalation. An Israeli official emphasized to local media the need for a strong response to Iran's first attack on Israeli mainland and said a firm response will soon follow.

The United States, the United Nations, and the international community are expected to actively work to prevent escalation. Amid international condemnation of the attack and concerns about escalation, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting that day.

Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations stated in a release after carrying out the retaliation that Iran does not seek to expand conflicts in the region. According to Sputnik News, the Iranian mission said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international law and consistently maintains its position of not seeking escalation or conflict in the region."

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