"Israel has a compelling need, even an imperative, to respond," former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Ehud Barak proclaimed in an interview with The Guardian. Barak predicted that "Israel" would carry out a significant airstrike targeting Iran’s oil industry and may also conduct a symbolic strike on a military site associated with its nuclear program.

The former occupation prime minister suggested that "Israel's" response could mirror airstrikes on Yemen's oil facilities and ports.

"I think we might see something like that. It might be a massive attack, and it could be repeated more than once," Barak said, adding that there have also been some suggestions that "Israel" should target the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

However, Barak acknowledged that the Iran nuclear program has advanced too far for any bombing campaign to hinder it significantly. 

'Why...not hit the nuclear military program?'

"There are some commentators and even some people within the defense [security] establishment who raised the question: Why [....] not hit the nuclear military program?" Barak claimed, before adding that "A little bit more than a decade ago, I was probably the most hawkish person in Israeli leadership arguing that it was worth considering very seriously, because there was an actual capability to delay them by several years."

However, in his latest interview, the former prime minister argued that, since Iran has effectively become a threshold country, "Practically speaking, you cannot easily delay them in any significant manner."

Barak explained that while the Iranians "do not have yet a weapon," their status as a de facto threshold state means "it may take them a year to have one, and even half a decade to have a small arsenal."

According to Barak, there is pressure within the Netanyahu government for at least a symbolic strike against the Iranian nuclear program, despite the former PM viewing such a gesture as ineffective.

"You can cause certain damage, but even this might be perceived by some of the planners as worth the risk because the alternative is to sit idly by and do nothing," the Guardian cited Barak as saying. He then added, "So probably there will be even an attempt to hit certain nuclear-related targets."

Barak believed, as he explained in the interview, that a significant Israeli military response to Iran's Operation True Promise 2 has now become inevitable, but he also argued that the drift toward a regional war could have been avoided if the incumbent Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been open to the US-backed plan to gain Arab support for a postwar Palestinian government in Gaza. Instead, Netanyahu opposed any political solution that recognized Palestinian sovereignty.

Barak acknowledged that there were opportunities to limit regional escalation.

Netanyahu says to make Iran 'pay' for missile attack, Biden backs him

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran's retaliatory operation against the Israeli occupation a "big mistake" and vowed a decisive response, stating that Tehran would "pay for it." The remarks came shortly after Iran launched a large-scale missile strike against the Israeli occupation late Tuesday night.

"Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it," Netanyahu declared, adding, "Whoever attacks us, we attack them." He emphasized the Israeli occupation's commitment to attack any threats.

Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant also weighed in, delivering a message from the command and control center where he had monitored the Israeli attempts to intercept the missiles. "Iran has not learned a simple lesson - those who attack the state of Israel pay a heavy price," Gallant said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden expressed unwavering support for the Israeli occupation in the wake of the missile strikes, which his nation helped intercept. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden described the attacks as "defeated and ineffective" and praised Israeli and US military collaboration.

"Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel," Biden said.

When asked about the US response to the missile strike, Biden indicated that discussions were ongoing. "That's in active discussion right now. That remains to be seen," he said, adding that his team had been in contact with Netanyahu's throughout the attacks.

Read more: Joe Biden powerless to influence Middle East events: Le Figaro