JERUSALEM (VINnews) —Israel will probably hold off on retaliating against Iran until Pesach has passed, ABC News reported on Wednesday.
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A senior U.S. official told the news outlet that Israel’s decision “could always change,” adding that Iran’s senior officials and Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continue to be on high alert, with some staying in safe houses and underground facilities.
Pesach will begin this coming Monday, just over a week after Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles in response to the alleged Israeli strike that killed several Iranian officers in Damascus, Syria.
While Israeli officials have asserted that Israel will respond, the country’s leadership continues to discuss the right timing. Israeli sources told ABC News that two times last week strikes against Iran were prepared and then canceled.
Axios reported that one of the strikes was supposed to happen Monday night before it was postponed.
“We are not sure why and how close it was to an actual attack,” a U.S. official told Axios. The strike was canceled for “operational reasons,” two Israeli sources said.
Another U.S. official said that Israel had informed the Biden administration that it decided to wait after the Israeli war cabinet meeting on Monday.
Israel already canceled a planned strike immediately after Iran’s assault after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden, despite the cabinet having approved several possible responses, Kan News reported.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during a visit to Israel on Wednesday, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act. We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible.”
Axios quoted another U.S. official saying that while a “small Israeli strike” in Iran would probably trigger another retaliation, the U.S. hoped it would be more limited that Sunday’s assault and thus enable Israel to end the exchange.
In the meantime on the diplomatic front, the EU has agreed to expand sanctions on Iranian producers of drones and missiles following Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
“It’s very important to do everything to isolate Iran,” European Council President Charles Michel said.
The US is expected to impose its own sanctions in the coming days. Speaking about the possibility of further sanctions on Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that “all options to disrupt terrorist financing of Iran continue to be on the table”.