Middle East & Africa | Israel’s dilemma

Iran’s attack has left Israel in a difficult position

How does it respond without squandering the coalition that supported it?

Israeli Prime Ministaer Benjamin Netanyahu
Photograph: Picture Alliance
|JERUSALEM

In the space of two weeks Israel has been dealt two major strategic surprises. The first came in the aftermath of Israel’s air strike against Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April 1st. Intelligence indicated the Islamic Republic was about to abandon its decades-long strategy of confronting Israel through proxies and this time retaliate directly from its territory.

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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Israel’s dilemma”

From the April 20th 2024 edition

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