Netanyahu-Preparing To Respond Defensively & Offensively To Sec Threats

Wires reporting comments from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: "We are living in a period full of challenges. We are at the height of a war in Gaza which continues with determination, at the same time we continue our efforts to free our hostages, but we are also preparing to several scenarios. We have established a simple principle: whoever harms us, we will fight back. We are preparing to respond to the security interests of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”

• His comments come amid a major uptick in security risk in the region. A strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April that killed a senior IRGC commander, attributed by Tehran to Israel, has raised the prospect of a major retaliation on Israel.
• A direct Iranian attack on Israel would risk a significant conflagration. Some form of action by Iran's proxies in the region (such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Shia militias in Syria or Iraq) remains a more likely option.
• On 10 Apr US President Joe Biden pledged his "ironclad" support for Israel in the event of any Iranian-orchestrated action, a sharp contrast to the increasingly-critical stance of the White House toward's Israel's conduct in the Gaza strip.