Israel vows to respond to unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attack, raising concerns of regional war

Axios reports that the Biden administration and several other Western countries allied with Israel are urging Benjamin Netanyahu's government to exercise caution and avoid rushing into a retaliation against Iran that could lead to a regional war.

In a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant stated that Israel has no choice but to respond to the unprecedented missile and drone attack launched by Iran over the weekend, according to a U.S. official and another source briefed on the call.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ahead of a meeting with Iraq's deputy prime minister on Monday, emphasized the U.S. efforts to coordinate a diplomatic response to the Iranian attack to prevent further escalation.

"Strength and wisdom must be the two sides of the same coin," Blinken said, seemingly sending a message to Israel. President Biden later reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel's security and a ceasefire that would bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading further.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a phone call with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron, stated that Iran does not want escalation. However, he warned that if Israel "seeks adventure, our next response will be immediate, stronger and more extensive," according to a statement from Iran's Foreign Ministry.

The Israeli war cabinet convened on Monday to discuss its potential response to the attack, which saw Iran launch nearly 350 attack drones and missiles against Israel on April 13 in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria that killed a top Iranian general and others. Most of the drones and missiles were intercepted outside of Israeli airspace by Israeli, U.S., British, French, Jordanian and Saudi forces.

In the phone call with Austin, Gallant stressed that Israel cannot allow ballistic missiles to be launched against its territory without a response and that it won't accept an equation in which Iran responds with a direct attack every time Israel strikes targets in Syria. Austin conveyed a message similar to the one President Biden gave Netanyahu on Saturday night, emphasizing the need to avoid further escalation and warning that the U.S. won't support any Israeli counterattack against Iran.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon declined to comment on the specifics of the call, but public readouts from both sides indicated that Gallant expressed appreciation for the cooperation and coordination between the IDF, the U.S. military, and other international partners to counter the Iranian attack.

The readouts also mentioned discussions on efforts to establish an international and regional coalition against Iran, with Austin briefing Gallant on his consultations with partners and allies to reinforce international resolve in the face of Iranian aggression.