US-Greenlit Israeli Strike on Iran 'No Game Changer’ - Former Netanyahu Advisor

On April 19, an Iranian base near Isfahan was subjected to a drone strike by Israel. As per Western government sources, the attack was conducted in response to Tehran's retaliatory assault last Saturday, when over 300 missiles and drones were fired at Israeli territory.

Israel’s airstrike against Iran in response to Tehran's retaliatory missile and drone attack is “not a game changer,” Aviv Bushinsky, a former media advisor and chief of staff for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Sputnik.

“I don't think that this is a unique event that […] will change the face of the Middle East,” he added.

“The idea was to send a message to the Iranian regime telling them, ‘Okay, enough is enough. Don't start another front with Israel. We have enough challenges to cope with.’ And it seems that the Iranians are not willing to go ahead or to retaliate. And that's exactly what Israel sort of wanted to do,” the pundit noted.

US media reported that Israel on Friday carried out a “limited” retaliatory strike on sites in Iran, with explosions reported near the city of Isfahan. In a number of provinces of the country, air defense systems responded to the approach of drones, Iranian state news agency IRIB reported. Tasnim reported that nuclear facilities in Isfahan province were unharmed. Three Iranian officials confirmed to The New York Times that the strikes targeted an Iranian Air Force base near Isfahan.

After the strikes, which Israel did not officially confirm, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the drones shot down over Isfahan did not cause any damage. He also accused "pro-Israel" media of attempting to exaggerate the impact of the Israeli attack.

The Israeli strikes were part of the recent tit for tat between the two countries. Tel Aviv was responding to Tehran's massive drone and missile attack against Israel carried out last weekend with assistance from Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis. Over 300 projectiles were fired at Israeli territory from Iran, with Israel claiming that 99% of them were intercepted. Iran's own “military action” was a response to Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1.

Israel carried out strikes on Iran, explosions were reportedly heard in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz according to media reports. Explosions were also reported in Syria an Iraq, media reported.

An explosion in Iran's Isfahan was heard near the airport and the 8th… pic.twitter.com/XgwafZ8e1q

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 19, 2024

“I assume that the US administration did give a green light for such an operation,” Aviv Bushinsky underscored, weighing in on media reports suggesting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored US President Joe Biden's advice not to carry out a counterattack against Iran.

“We know what happened a week ago, last Saturday,” he said, recalling how the US and some European allies, including the UK and France, helped Israel fend off the projectile barrage from Iran.

“I think that the request by the American administration was, ‘Israel, please do not lead to an escalation, to a real big war in the Middle East.’ And I think that Netanyahu did obey and adhere to President Biden's request,” Bushinsky said.

"The US begged [Israel] not to do it, and literally no one from the Pentagon to the Joint Chiefs to the CIA to the intel community thinks this is a good thing… At this point, it’s truly embarrassing how much Israel does not listen to us, but yet this doesn’t keep President Biden from blind fealty," a US official was quoted by Politico as saying on Friday.

The United States has maintained silence on the Israeli strike on Iran, with only US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commenting to rule out any American involvement in the attack.

The pundit suggested that the strike by Tel Aviv “puts to bed any sort of tit for tat” between the two countries, allowing Israel to “get back to business” and try and finish its mission in Gaza.

Bushinsky added that its “inevitable” that Netanyahu will go into Rafah, to try to “get rid of the Hamas leadership and their armament capability,” the expert elaborated. He added that the Israeli PM’s “legacy is very slim,” and internal politics and the pressure to release the hostages will drive him forward.

Iranian MP Abolfazl Abu Tarabi also commented on Israel’s attack on Iran.

“Some Western media seek to exaggerate the significance of the Israeli strike, carried out using several UAVs. They also seek to sow panic among the Iranian population... Iran has always displayed strategic patience and acted very prudently. But its patience is not infinite, and when someone crosses our 'red lines,' they must understand how we will respond. Iran has already proven this by attacking Israeli military targets,” the Iranian member of parliament told Sputnik.

“Our defenses will be used in the event of any enemy attack. These are very advanced weapons, and our opponents cannot even imagine what we are capable of. We have all the necessary knowledge and technology in the field of defense. And, therefore, we can repel any air attack,” the MP said, concluding:

“With the weapons at our disposal, Iran is under reliable protection.”