Global Research

Good night to the Middle East.

After Iran’s retaliation against Israel with 330 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, there were no fatal casualties or civilian damage in Israel. Iran demonstrated its capabilities, put up deterrence, and offered to “call it a day”. US President Biden and other Israeli allies quickly urged Israel to accept the Iranian offer and not start a new much bigger round of escalation.

Israel, however, knows only genocide and escalation. Netanyahu’s government has this evening Monday 15 April 2025 promised to hit “hard” back at Iran.

In an unsourced report, Channel 12 claims the war cabinet has made the decision to hit back “clearly and forcefully” against Iran for its missile and drone attack on Saturday night.

The response will be designed to send the message that Israel “will not allow an attack of that magnitude against it to pass without a reaction,” the report says. The response will also be designed to make plain that Israel will not allow the Iranians to “establish the equation” they have sought to assert in recent days. This appears to be a reference to Iran’s warning that future Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, including its international diplomatic premises, will henceforth again be met by Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel. (The Times of Israel, April 15, 2024)

Netanyahu of course knows, that next time, Iran will respond with not “just” 330 drones or missiles, but up to 10 times more, or 3,000 – 3,500 missiles. Israel’s claim that they shot down “more than 99% of the Iranian missiles” is a blatant lie. The big majority of Iran’s drones and cruise missiles were meant to deplete Israeli air defense magazines, make Israel reveal its air defense structure – and make way for Iranian ballistic missiles with up to 1,500 kg. warheads. Iran succeeded eminently. Out of the 330 missiles, shooting down “more than 99%” would mean that only three Iranian missiles got through.

Western media have confirmed, that at least nine Iranian ballistic missiles came through and hit 3-4 of Israel’s most guarded military sites, including two airbases and a security center.

The number of nine Iranian ballistic missiles getting through is to be seen relative to the fact, that only 110 missiles were ballistic out of the total 330 drones and missiles which Iran sent. There is no chance that Israel can intercept the next wave of perhaps 3,500 Iranian missiles, or that Iran next time will be polite enough to warn Israel and the US 72 hours in advance.

But Netanyahu calculates that with the next round of escalation with Iran, Israel will either drag the US into a war with Iran – or Israel will go nuclear.

And Israel’s president Isaac Herzog already yesterday said in an interview with Sky News that Israel would have to make it “clear” to the Iranian régime, that this cannot pass by. Herzog and Netanyahu are on the same page.

Israel will push the US to attack Iran – or Israel will go up to the nuclear level.

Those are the alternatives put up by Netanyahu for US president Biden to contemplate.

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Karsten Riise is a Master of Science (Econ) from Copenhagen Business School and has a university degree in Spanish Culture and Languages from Copenhagen University. He is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Mercedes-Benz in Denmark and Sweden.

He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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