Since Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last week, Benjamin Netanyahu has faced the highest-stakes decision of his career: how to respond to Tehran’s first direct strike on Israel without sparking an all-out war between the Middle East’s two most powerful militaries.
On Friday, the result of the deliberations between the Israeli prime minister and his war cabinet became clear. In the early hours, Israel launched a strike of its own on Iran, according to western and Israeli officials. Blasts echoed as Iran activated air defences near the cities of Isfahan in central Iran and Tabriz in the country’s north-west.
In the immediate aftermath, Netanyahu’s gamble appeared to have paid off. Despite warnings this week that even the “slightest” Israeli action in Iran would trigger a “severe” response, Iranian officials played down the strike and the possibility of retaliation.