GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 362

Going To War

Retaliation Coming

We hear from both sides that a counter attack is coming and then nothing happens or a muted response occurs. We read that Israel is going to attack Iran in a big way this time as we hear in a report from The Times Of Israel:

Israel may respond to Iran’s major Tuesday ballistic missile attack by striking strategic infrastructure, such as gas or oil rigs, or by directly targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, media reports said on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials.

Targeted assassinations and attacks on Iran’s air defense systems are also possible responses, Axios reported.

Expect them to hit Iran in a way that destabilizes their economy and military abilities:

An attack on Iranian oil facilities could devastate the country’s economy, and any of the considered responses could mark another escalation, almost one year into the ongoing war that began when the Hamas terror group attacked Israel in October 2023.

What the IDF does is being considered at length:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with Israel’s security chiefs at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Wednesday, his office said in a statement.

The meeting — held hours before the Rosh Hashanah holiday, marking the Jewish New Year — was expected to discuss potential responses to the attack, which consisted of some 181 ballistic missiles fired directly at Israel from Iran, almost all of which were intercepted as Israelis nationwide gathered in bomb shelters.

Publicly Netanyahu is not being specific, probably for political reasons:

The discussion took place after another hours-long meeting of the security cabinet in a bunker underneath Jerusalem on Tuesday night. That meeting ended with the understanding that Israel would respond to the attack militarily, but without clarity as to how it would do so, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Israeli officials.

The absence of a more specific decision was in part out of a desire to coordinate any plans with the United States, the report said, adding that Netanyahu was expected to speak with US President Joe Biden as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

Make no bones about it, Israel will respond and not in a minor way this time:

Netanyahu declared after the attack that “Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay for it,” vowing, “whoever attacks us — we will attack them.”

That’s in part because the attack on Tuesday came some two weeks into a new Israeli offensive against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which has devastated the Iranian proxy, lessening its power as a deterrent against strong Israeli action.

What Will Iran Do?

It certainly seems that Israel will hit Iran in a big way which begs the question of how will Iran then hit back:

There remains, however, the possibility that Iran itself could escalate, including into a full-scale war, if Israel deals it a serious blow.

“We have a big question mark about how the Iranians are going to respond to an attack, but we take into consideration the possibility that they would go all in, which will be a whole different ball game,” an Israeli official told Axios.

Will this be a case of the Samson option being used by Iran? We don’t know, but Israel continues to talk about their response and it is consistent:

In Israel, ministers vowed that Iran would regret the attack, while politicians, including from the opposition, called for a heavy response.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in a statement Tuesday, declared: “The ayatollahs’ regime has crossed the red line — and the State of Israel will not be silent in the face of Iran’s criminal attack on our citizens.”

Gallant wrote on X: “Iran has not learned a simple lesson — those who attack the State of Israel, pay a heavy price.”

Surprisingly even Netanyahu’s opposition is wanting an extremely hard hit against not only Iran:

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, too, said in a statement Wednesday morning that “the response must be harsh, and send a clear message to the entire axis: Iran, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza,” naming countries and territories from which Iranian-backed terror groups have launch attacks on Israel.

The opposition also took a moment to encourage getting the hostages back which is a good thing, but now some are bring up taking out Iran’s nuclear program:

Some voices went further, calling explicitly for Israel to target Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil industry sites and to threaten the regime itself. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, speaking on CNN Tuesday shortly after the attack, called this moment a “once in a 50-year opportunity.”

“We need to take out Iran’s nuclear program, we need to attack Iran’s energy facilities, and we need to attack the regime itself, right away,” Bennett said, noting that Hezbollah and Hamas are at a historically weak point after a year of war.

“It’s time to hit, destroy the nuclear program, and finally allow the Iranian people to rise up — the amazing Iranian people, who have one of the worst regimes on earth,” he said.

Over in the US there was almost unanimous agreement that Iran must be hit brutally:

The United States on Wednesday signaled a willingness to support Israel in a potential response, with the White House promising “severe consequences for this attack,” and saying it “will work with Israel to make that the case.”

Even with such strong words like that, Biden still wants a limited response and doesn’t want the nuclear sites taken out, however Republicans and some Democrats still want Israel to hammer Iran period:

Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats in the US Congress, meanwhile, urged the White House to back Israel in a harsh response.

“I urge the reimposition of a maximum pressure campaign against Iran and fully support Israel’s right to respond disproportionately to stop this threat,” said Senator Marco Rubio, using the Trump administration’s phrase for its exertion of harsh sanctions.

Are We Heading Into A World War?

I keep hearing so many people say that the Middle East will draw the rest of the world into World War III and with a severe attack on Iran by Israel that it will entice the nations of the international community to pick sides and join the war. I’m not saying that couldn’t happen, but I don’t see it playing out that way politically or Biblically. I see the nations who support Iran and its proxies letting this play out to see if Israel survives or not and then altering their plans then, but not helping out anymore than they already have. Conversely, the way that the IDF is cleaning everyone’s clocks in the area including Iran I don’t see any of Israel’s allies getting involved in the fray simply because they don’t see the need to other than helping them defend themselves from the rocket attacks. Turkey, which has the ability and the army to make a difference are more than happy to see Iran weakened so they can play king maker in the region. Russia has all it can handle with Ukraine. And in a presidential race in America, the current administration continues to support Israel but not by sending troops to fight on the ground in an offensive way. It is true that these events could set up a worldwide conflict of some kind, most likely it will pave the way for the war of Gog and Magog which will be a major war, but not a global war. Am I absolutely certain on how this unfolds? No, but the pieces are coming together faster than in any time in my life and it’s astounding to watch. Things are escalating quickly so pray for the peace of Jerusalem more now than ever. Things are getting more intense for all involved.