April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Israel’s war cabinet has been engaged in a heated debate about how and when to respond to Iran’s weekend attack on their country, two Israeli officials familiar with the deliberations tell CNN.

The war cabinet remains determined to respond to Iran’s attack, but as it convenes Monday afternoon, its members continue to debate the timing and scope of such a response, the officials said. In addition to a potential military response, the war cabinet is also mulling diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.

Benny Gantz, a key member of the war cabinet, has pushed for a swifter response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli officials said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far pumped the brakes on making a decision. Gantz believes that the longer Israel delays its response to Iran’s attack, the harder it will be to garner international support for such an attack, one of the sources said. Multiple countries are already cautioning Israel against escalating the situation further with a military response.

Israel’s government is aware that the country is currently enjoying international support and goodwill from its allies and does not want to squander that. At the same time, the government recognizes that it cannot allow Iran’s first attack on Israeli soil to go unanswered.

Among the military options that are being considered, the war cabinet is considering an attack on an Iranian facility that would send a message, but would avoid causing casualties, one Israeli official said. But Israeli officials recognize that will be a difficult needle to thread, hence the ongoing debate. The timing of a decision remains unclear.

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi told CNN Monday he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the fight with Iran to take attention away from the war on Gaza.

"The Israeli Prime Minister has always wanted to invoke some sort of confrontation with Iran. Now, as the international pressure on Israel to stop the aggression on Gaza continues, invoking a fight with Iran is something that, we believe, he thinks could dilute that pressure, and could take attention away from Gaza," Safadi told CNN’s Becky Anderson. 

More on Iran's attack: Safadi said Jordan will do whatever is within its means to protect the kingdom, explaining why the country intercepted some of the drones and missiles that entered its airspace Saturday night.

“What we did was consistent with our long-standing policy and any projectiles, drones, whatever that enters our space historically and we'll continue to deal with it because it poses a threat to Jordan,” Safadi said. “We are in the range of fire and any missiles or projectile that could fall in Jordan would cause harm to Jordan. So we did what we have to do and let me be very clear. We will do the same regardless of where those drones are from. From Israel, from Iran, from anybody else,” he added.

The Israeli government agency that coordinates the delivery of aid into Gaza says that a new crossing in the north has again been used to deliver food aid.

COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) said Monday that “just last night 102 food aid trucks coordinated to northern Gaza. A food aid convoy entered northern Gaza via the new northern crossing. We will continue expanding our efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid into and across of Gaza.”

Earlier, the organization said on Sunday 316 aid trucks had been inspected and transferred to Gaza, of which 65 food aid trucks were coordinated to northern Gaza.

The Israeli government approved earlier this month the temporary opening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza for the delivery of humanitarian aid. However, the Israel Defense Forces has not specified the exact location of the new northern crossing. 

Israel's war cabinet will meet today at 2:00 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) to discuss its response to Iran's unprecedented attack on Saturday night, an Israeli official has told CNN.

An hours-long war cabinet meeting ended Sunday night without a decision on how to respond.

The cabinet is determined to act – but has yet to decide on the timing and scope. 

Some background: Israel war cabinet minister Benny Gantz previously said that Israel will “exact a price from Iran in a way and time that suits us.”

But Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the country is not seeking war after Iran's attack and "balance is needed in this situation."

An Israeli official told the US that it's not looking to significantly escalate the showdown with Iran, a senior Biden administration official told reporters.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Tehran against further escalation in the Middle East after Iran's attack on Israel. 

Scholz said the attack "is a serious escalation of the situation and is in no way acceptable, understandable or tolerable.” 

Four soldiers were wounded during overnight operations near Israel's northern border, its military said.

One of the soldiers was severely wounded, according to the military.

Two soldiers had moderate injuries, and another soldier was lightly wounded as a result of an explosion from an unknown source, it said.

Several African countries have expressed concern after Iran’s attack on Israel.

South Africa emphasized that all parties must "avoid any act that would escalate tensions in a particularly fragile region" and urged the world not to forget the war in Gaza.

Nigeria called on Iran and Israel “to exercise restraint” and “avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East,” its Foreign Ministry said.

Kenya's President William Ruto said the attack "only serves to aggravate an already delicate situation in the Middle East.”

Ruto said Iran's attack "should be condemned by all peace loving countries” and that Kenya “urges Israel to show utmost restraint.”

Somalia urged all parties “to immediately halt further escalation and exercise maximum restraint,” Somalia’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry said rising hostilities threaten regional stability and global security, and emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Iran’s attack on Israel was a “legitimate” and “responsible” reaction, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reiterated on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Kanaani said “military action was the last resource which exhausted all the diplomatic channels.”

Kanaani said Iran is not looking at “intensifying tension” in the region but will take “proportionate action” to defend itself.

Tehran has said the strikes over the weekend were a retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1.

The strikes were the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil, escalating tensions in the Middle East stoked over the war in Gaza.

China has voiced “deep concern” over escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel.

The attack raised the prospect of a wider conflagration in a region where Beijing has pledged to play peacemaker and promote its own security vision.

Iran's attack has pushed the shadow war between the two regional foes into the open. Western allies are urging Israel to de-escalate as fears grow of an all-out regional war – a scenario Washington has sought to enlist Beijing’s help to avoid.

The latest flare-up of tensions has again raised questions over how much leverage China wields over Iran – and whether Beijing is willing to turn its political capital into influence.

China has been Iran’s biggest trading partner for the past decade and buys 90% of Iran’s oil exports, providing a lifeline to Tehran against US sanctions. Chinese companies also provide Iran with security and surveillance equipment.

But it is difficult for China to pull these levers to influence Iran’s behavior, Figueroa said.

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