Israel-Iran conflict: See analysts' predictions on potential retaliation and Middle East fallout

Iran's attack on Israel left the United States and its allies scrambling to avoid a wider conflict as the world waits to see what comes next.

The bitter conflict between Israel and Iran has long been confined to the realm of secret assassinations, audacious cyberattacks, nuclear sabotage and war-by-proxy. But that largely covert struggle burst into full view over the weekend with Tehran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes.

The Islamic Republic’s unprecedented direct attack on the Jewish state, which followed Israel’s deadly strike on Iran’s consular building in Syria, left the United States and its allies scrambling to avoid a wider conflict as the world waits to see what comes next.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet convened Monday to weigh its options. Western leaders have urged restraint, with President Joe Biden warning his Israeli counterpart against carrying out new strikes on Iran and making it clear that Washington would not join in any such counterattack. (Speaking after the war Cabinet convened, an Israeli official told NBC News that a response may be “imminent.”) 

While almost all the drones and missiles used in the attack were taken down by Israel, the U.S. and other allied countries, the stakes after the attack could not be higher. In the eyes of some foreign policy hawks, the attacks could be perceived as a grave provocation that demands a furious rejoinder. But other analysts have warned that if Netanyahu decides to hit back hard, it could plunge the wider Middle East into war amid Israel’s devastating monthslong military campaign in the Gaza Strip. 

Complicating matters, Iran’s intentions are not entirely clear. In the days after the attacks, some analysts have argued that its aerial barrage seemed primarily designed to bolster its position with domestic hard-liners and deter regional foes, but calibrated not to lead to a more sweeping war.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-attack-israel-israel-war-gaza-hamas-drone-missile-rcna147784

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