This situation could go in so many directions at this point. Biden has communicated to BiBi that the US will not be a part of the response to Iran, whatever Israel decides. He did say our support otherwise is “ironclad.” That is all BiBi would have hoped for anyway.
Iran notified its Arab neighbors of the planned attack. Accounting for the surrounding Arab countries, they remained neutral. That’s a big plus in hindsight.
So if I’m BiBi, I’m wondering how far I can go with Iran before the neighbors get upset enough to act. Where is the ‘red line’ in this case. Tehran is the most outspoken regarding the elimination of the Jewish state, for years. Iran has played the proxy game for a long time. By attacking Israel directly, they have now subjected themselves to a no holds barred response. Israel has already made it clear that they will “exact a price” for the attack.
So now I think, what could/would be Israel’s objective(s) in a retaliation. One of the first things that comes to mind is Iran’s nuclear production. I would guess Mossad probably has a very good idea of the state of their program at this point. They know enough about locations and status to make a very informed decision if that’s an option they’re considering. Would Israel make that a target/objective in retaliating? As far as the surrounding Arab neighbors, what objection would they voice? Without publicly broadcasting it, they realize Iran is the pariah in the region.
I also have a hard time finding the logic in Iran’s attack on Israel. My impression after reading the accounts of the attack are, is Iran really that pathetic? Israel knew the attack was coming in advance, as did just about everybody else that follows any kind of news source. Tehran accomplished nothing, with the exception of green lighting Israel’s unrestrained response.
So I’ve gone a step further and wondered, was the attack a sucker punch? Is there more to it that Iran is showing? They know they lit the fuse. How far will it go now?
And, if Syria for instance, decides they want to be involved, where does it go from there?
Very interesting times we live in.