Experts: "More of a mark than an escalation"
Many experts agree that last night's Israeli attack on Iran does not mean any major escalation of the tense situation between the countries.
- There is a possibility now that things will settle down, says Isabell Schierenbeck, professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg, to TT.
Even Charles Miller, an expert on international security, believes that the attack is more of a mark than an escalation. He adds that the situation could have been much worse, for example if Israel chose to attack nuclear targets in Iran.
- It seems that both sides seem to want to do something without actually taking the risk of being too provocative, he tells the Washington Post.
Maha Yahya, director of Carnegie's Middle East Center, says that Israel does not have the capacity to fight a full-scale war in the Middle East - even if it wanted to.
- [Israel] would need a commitment from the United States to continue providing weapons, she tells CNN.
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Israel has not yet officially confirmed that it attacked Iran.
The minister's single words are causing anger - accused of harming security interests
Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is under fire after he openly suggested that Israel was behind last night's attack on Iran.
On X, Ben-Gvir wrote a word after the attack: "Scarecrow!", which according to AFP is Hebrew slang for "weak". It can also be interpreted as something like "much ado about nothing". Ben-Gvir has been advocating a tough attack on Iran all week.
The news agency writes that the minister is now being accused from several quarters of harming Israeli security interests. One critic is opposition leader Yair Lapid who believes that Ben-Gvir both confirms and mocks Israel's operations.
American and Israeli media have stated that Israel carried out the attack, but no formal confirmation is expected from Israel.
While Israel continues to remain silent, a debate has flared up in the country about whether the limited attack is a strong enough message, writes Bloomberg.
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Analysis: "The war has stepped out of the shadows"
Last weekend Iran directed a direct attack on Israel for the first time and now Israel has responded with an attack inside Iran. The playing field in the region has thus changed, writes the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in an analysis.
"The long-standing secret war between the two countries has come out of the shadows."
Bowen wonders if the response is harsh enough to appease the former generals in Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet.
Sky News Middle East Correspondent Alistair Bunkall urges to keep an eye out for signs that Iran is singling out the US for involvement in last night's attack.
"It may signal an intention to classify US bases in Iraq and Syria as legitimate targets for response."
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