Israel said to decide on targets it could strike in Iran: ‘Now a matter of time’

Israel said to decide on targets it could strike in Iran: ‘Now a matter of time’

But source tells public broadcaster ‘the targets could also change at the 11th hour’; Gallant vows response to Iranian missile attack is coming soon, will be ‘precise and deadly’

Israel has apparently settled on the targets it might hit in Iran, according to Israeli television reports Tuesday, indicating the country was rounding out its preparations to retaliate against the massive ballistic missile attack by the Islamic Republic last month.

The list was reportedly presented to the prime minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by the army as it finalizes its preparations, which include “sensitive coordination” with other countries in the region, according to Channel 12 news.

According to a report broadcast by the Kan public broadcaster, “the political echelon” has apparently selected the targets but it did not specify which officials or what decision-making forum made that choice.

“The targets are clear. Now it’s a matter of time,” an Israeli source said in comments to the broadcaster.

The report cited its sources as saying, however, that Israel has briefed the US about general plans for attacks, but has yet to give any update on specific targets while acknowledging, “the targets could also change at the 11th hour.”

The broadcaster separately said that Gallant briefed Netanyahu and military chief Herzi Halevi as seeing “eye-to-eye” with them regarding “both the need and essence of the response.”

In his public remarks Tuesday, Gallant promised that Israel “will soon respond” to Iran.

“It will be a precise and deadly response,” he said as addressing members of the right-wing Gvura Forum of hostages’ families.

 

Both his statements as well as the TV broadcasts came after a report from the Washington Post said that Netanyahu told President Joe Biden during a call on October 8, Israel’s retaliation will not include strikes on non-military sites, according to an official who said the attack will be designed to avoid “political interference in the U.S. elections.”.

The newspaper article relates that this sudden softening of Netanyahu is one reason for the US decision to grant Israel an advanced anti-ballistic missile air defense system.

Israel had been considered earlier for possible strikes on Iranian oil installations or nuclear facilities, which the US opposed as being escalatory in nature, involving Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Israel or other regional states that align with the West.

The Prime Minister’s Office indicated in a late-night message to the Washington Post that Israel’s security needs would trump any other calculus into their decision.

“We listen to the American government’s thoughts, but will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national security needs,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Previous reports had suggested that the call between Netanyahu and Biden, first in some two months, had helped draw Washington and Jerusalem closer together on the Iran issue after the countries seemed to stop coordinating on Israeli strikes against Hezbollah amid fraying ties between the leaders.

But an official quoted by Axios after the call said the planned response by Israel was still more aggressive than the US would prefer.

Officially, Israel is known as the State of Israel. It shares boundaries with Lebanon and Syria to its north, Jordan and Egypt to its east, and the Mediterranean Sea to its west. This country was established on 14 May 1948; its topography varies with coastal plains, highlands, and desert areas. The declared capital city is Jerusalem, but such a declaration is generally not accepted within international society.

Israel is a parliamentary democracy, developed over a sophisticated culture of Jewish-Arab interaction. Israel is also one of the countries with the highest GDP per capita in the region. It boasts impressively high expenditures on research and development as well as the advancement of tech. Because of these continuous clashes with Palestinian factions and other Arab states bordering Israel, the geopolitical situation remains very complicated.

#How do things change and evolve about the nature of Israel’s relationship with its neighbourly countries over time?

The Israeli relationship with their neighbouring countries has changed dramatically over time, depending on such elements as war, treaties, and changes in geopolitics.

In the Early Conflicts period, Israel had hardly been established in 1948 when it began to face military resistance from neighbors and Arab states and consequently started with the War of Independence and subsequently the wars that followed, for instance, the Six-Day War, which took place in 1967 where Israel annexed vast portions of land.

Peace Treaties: Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and with Jordan in 1994. This trend toward relations began with the Arab states. All borders were resolved as well as cooperation established, but opinion among the populations of these countries remained in the main anti-Israel.

Normalization Efforts: Recently, since Abraham Accords of 2020, Israel normalized its relation with UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. This process has indicated that despite the unresolved issue of Palestine, Arab countries have started engaging with this state slowly.

Current Trends: Relations with Turkey ebbed and flowed by the regional tensions, whereas ties with the GCC states are deepening due to mutual concern about Iran. Meanwhile, the country is still at war with Syria and has complicated relations with Lebanon due to Hezbollah.

In short, all of them reflect on a complex diplomatic/conflict dynamic that is in evolution.

# How do Israeli relations change with Turkey and Greece?

Israel-Turkey Relations

Reception from the Early Cooperation: Tensions eased at the turn of the century due to each state’s discovery of the ways in which they could successfully collaborate militarily and economically, especially in joint exercises and arms deals.

Armed Conflict: Tensions increased after 2008 with Israel launching the largest operation against Hamas in Gaza and on May 31, 2010 nine Turkish activists were killed in a confrontation involving Israeli naval commandos boarding a Turkish humanitarian aid ship headed toward Gaza called the MV Mavi Marmara, which led to Turkey downgrade of diplomatic relations.

Contrasts of Position: The 2013 Israeli apology over the flotilla resulted in normalization in 2016, but only to the sub-underlying tensions generated by contrasts of position over Hamas and other regional politics.

Current State of Affairs: A complex relationship, with the recent developments toward cooperation on energy and security, but very deep distrust remains strongly there of President Erdoğan’s policies.

READ ALSO: 15 Best places in Europe for a perfect family trip

READ ALSO: Top 15 best things to do in Seattle (2024)

#Israel-Hellenic Relations

Intensifying Relation: Unlike its vague relationship with Turkey, Israel only intensified its relations with Greece since the late 2000s due to their common interest in the security of the region and energy resources.

Military Coordination: Military coordination and defence cooperation is a normalized procedure and thus driving strategic cooperation with Turkey’s aggressive step in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Economic Ties: This relation has been supplemented by the rise in tourism and energy interdependence, and Greece has turned out to be the best friend of Israel in Europe.

Relationship between Israel and Turkey has witnessed a roller coaster ride from the very initial stage. However, with Greece, the relationship has continuously been graded up with change in the balance of geopolitics.

# What was behind the crisis in the relations between Israel and Turkey in 2008?

Relations between Israel and Turkey started to break down in 2008 primarily due to some of the major factors that are listed below:

Operation Cast Lead: Israel began its onslaught on the city of Gaza in December 2008 with the declared intent of ending Hamas rocket fire at the Israeli occupation targets. The attack resulted in heavy civilian casualties and colossal destruction that was severely condemned by Turkey as “crimes against humanity” and “state-sponsored terrorism” .

Political Rhetoric: The virulent anti-Israeli stance taken by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during and after the Gaza conflict escalated tensions. His comments at international forums, such as when he aggressively questioned Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum, strained diplomatic ties .

Evolution of Turkish Policy: The AKP came into Turkey, which pursued a more assertive foreign policy that clearly upped its ante regarding the support towards Palestinian Interests, including hosting Hamas leaders and protesting Israeli actions in Gaza .

These developments found a way of facilitating a sharp decline in the diplomatic relationship and paving the way to more conflicts in the form of the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010.

# How did military cooperation between Israel and Turkey come to an end?

In fact, the Mavi Marmara incident on May 31, 2010 destroyed the military cooperation that had prevailed between Israel and Turkey. That was the event where Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish flotilla trying to violate Gaza’s blockade, killing eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American. This issue outraged Turkey and went on to ignite massive diplomatic fallout.

After the UN report stating the legality of the blockade imposed by Israel, but condemning the disproportionate use of force in the interception, asking for an apology and compensation, refused by Israel and thereby increasing the friction between the two nations, on 2 September 2011, Turkey further downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel by suspending military cooperation with Israel. Finally, the two countries entered into a prolonged diplomatic mutual boycott of one another, with military cooperation ending.