The Israeli sources, which were described as very high-ranking, confirmed the existence of a security, political and military consensus to strike Iran, pointing out at the same time that the greatest concern among decision-makers in the entity lies in the interference of Lebanese Hezbollah in the comprehensive war that may break out following the Israeli attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The military analyst in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz stressed that there has been a change in the American position, noting that the administration of President Joe Biden supports directing a limited Israeli strike on Iran, adding that the Israeli consensus also extended to rejecting international trends not to attack Iran and its consequences for the entity’s global isolation, as well as He quoted his own sources in Tel Aviv.

In addition, Israeli analyst Ronen Bergman believed that Iran succeeded twice: the first when it created a state of hysteria among the Israeli public even before a single bullet was fired, and the second in retaliating for the assassination of the commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

In an article in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Bergman, who is known for his closeness to the entity’s military, security and intelligence decision-making sources, said that Israel failed to predict the results of the assassination in Damascus, and in failing to understand and prepare for the fact that Iran poses a great danger to it not only in the nuclear field, but In a conflict like the one whose beginnings and potential are the damage we saw last night (Saturday-Sunday night).”

Bergman quoted a source familiar with the discussions within the Israeli war council regarding Iran as saying: “If the talks were broadcast live on YouTube, you would have 4 million Israelis chanting at Ben Gurion Airport and trying to escape from here.”

Bergman noted: “This round can be closed and moved on, but it is important to remember that this is only one round in a long war between Israel and Iran, which has long emerged from the shadows and is raging throughout the Middle East.”

He concluded by saying, “US President Joe Biden is like a dull man.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insults him, publicly disagrees with him, and refuses to do what he asks, and he is the good uncle from America, who simply continues to offer his strength, ability, and protection,” he said.

In a related context, sources in the Israeli security establishment directed criticism at the Israeli army in general and the Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevy in particular, regarding the army’s preparations, after the assassination of senior Iranian official Zahedi in Damascus, according to the military correspondent for the (WALLA) Hebrew-language news website, Amir Bouhbut. 

The sources said: “Although Israel did not officially adopt the operation, immediately after the assassination of Mahdavi, the Iranian leadership began indicating to the Israeli security establishment that it was behind the operation,” adding: “At this stage, those concerned in the security establishment believe that Halevy was on It is estimated with a high probability that Tehran will choose to direct fire at Israel, despite the fact that it has not claimed responsibility” .

Those concerned in the security establishment added, “The Chief of Staff should have expected that Mahdawi’s death would lead to an Iranian attack of a historical standard on the Israeli home front, and prepared the Israeli army accordingly.”

According to the sources, it was expected that the Chief of Staff would realize that regardless of the identity of the person responsible, the Iranians could not contain the assassination of a high-ranking official.

In theory, the sources said: “If the security establishment believes that Tehran will respond forcefully to an assassination operation like this, it is possible that this matter will affect several considerations of the security establishment and affect the origin of the willingness to approve the operation.”

The sources indicated a lack of appreciation by the Chief of Staff of the step that could develop after the assassination of the senior official, while a reliable official source told the (WALLA) website that the Chief of Staff estimated that there would be an Iranian response to targeting Mahdawi, but the likelihood of that was weak, as she put it.

For his part, the leader of the opposition in the entity, Yair Lapid, considered that Israeli deterrence collapsed in Lebanon, when Hezbollah pitched its tent inside the sovereign territory of the State of Israel, as he claimed.

In his post on the (X) platform, Lapid added, “All that remains of the security master (Netanyahu) are villages of ruin from (Be’eri) in the south to (Kiryat Shmona) in the north, and the violence of Jewish terrorists that got out of control, and the loss of... Complete Israeli deterrence,” calling for the removal of the current government that “brings ruin to Israel while thinking it is bringing benefit.”

Lapid added in his direct attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “If Netanyahu had worked all these years on the Iranian issue, how did Iran become a country on the verge of possessing a nuclear weapon, and how did it send hundreds of drones?”

It is worth noting that, in an unprecedented step, Netanyahu held meetings with the heads and leaders of the opposition in the entity and informed them of the deliberations of the war council, which was held twice in the last two days.