Iranian attack shows Israeli dependence on allies: Ex-US NATO envoy
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Ivo Daalder told Politico that Netanyahu changed his mind about hitting Iran when US President Joe Biden called and told him the US would not engage in any counter-strike on Tehran
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes a seat before he meets with the French Foreign Minister on February 5, 2024. (AFP)
The Iranian strike on the Israeli occupation has revealed that "Israel" relies on military backing from the United States and other allies more than it would like to admit, according to former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder.
Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at "Israel" on April 13 in retaliation for a fatal raid on the Iranian embassy in Syria on April 1. The US claimed to have downed around one-third of done targets, while the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan downed a few more.
"Israel’s" military and political leaders began discussing a potential new strike as soon as Iran initiated its retaliatory strike, even before the extent of the damage caused by the drones was known.
Despite initially claiming no damage was recorded, a senior American official told ABC News that at least nine Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses and hit two Israeli air bases.
Daalder told Politico on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially wanted to retaliate with a large-scale strike, but he settled for a "signaling strike" almost a week later.
"The reality is that what happened demonstrated just how much the effectiveness of Israel’s anti-missile defenses depends on the U.S. and the cooperation of other countries," Daalder wrote.
Daalder divulged that Netanyahu changed his mind about hitting Iran when US President Joe Biden called and told him the US would not engage in any counter-strike on Tehran amid concerns of escalation in the region.
'Israel' scaled back planned attack on Iran to avoid new counterattack
What strike?" with a snort when the FM was asked about his stance on the reportedly Israeli drone attack that targeted the Iranian city of Isfahan and whether Iran would retaliate.
A reporter asked Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as he was exiting the United Nations Security Council meeting about his opinion on the Israeli strike on #Isfahan, asking if #Tehran would retaliate, to which a member of the Iranian delegation accompanying the… pic.twitter.com/pvSZvy4dcY
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 19, 2024
