Israeli newspapers discussed the American position on the recent Iranian attack, in addition to the supposed Israeli response by targeting the city of Isfahan, noting the growing influence of Iran. They also shed light on the attack that Israel is preparing in the city of Rafah.

While Maariv newspaper warned on Saturday that surrendering the United States to Iran’s right to attack Israel would threaten the strategic interests of both Tel Aviv and Washington, Wallah website and Haaretz newspaper touched on the limited Israeli response to the Iranian attack, saying that it helps Tel Aviv launched its military operation in the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip.

In a report published on its website today, Maariv newspaper indicated that President John Biden’s administration’s handling of the Iranian attack indicates that Washington is now dealing with Iran as a “regional power and legitimizes its intention to directly attack an ally of the United States.”

The newspaper did not rule out that Iran had indirectly coordinated its attack on Israel with the United States, suggesting that Tehran, which announced that it would respond to the assassination of Revolutionary Guard leaders in Damascus, could have informed the Biden administration that its response to the assassination would be limited so that it would not lead to a comprehensive regional confrontation erupts.

The newspaper stressed that the United States' acknowledgment that Iran would carry out an attack on Israel from its territory would bring about a "dramatic" shift in the rules of engagement that have so far governed the confrontation between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

Maariv warned that the realistic American recognition of Iran's transformation into a regional power and its surrender of its right to attack Israel will reduce the motivation of Arab countries allied with Washington to continue betting on the relationship with the United States and Israel.

Warnings regarding transferring Iranian nuclear facilities to underground facilities

On the other hand, the newspaper's website today quoted American sources as saying that the Israeli attack that targeted the air defense systems that secure the Natanz reactor in the city of Isfahan could prompt decision-makers in Tehran to take precautionary measures to secure Iranian nuclear facilities.

According to the sources, whose identity the newspaper did not reveal, Iran could work to secure the Natanz reactor by moving it and all of its nuclear facilities to underground facilities to reduce the risk of being hit in any future Israeli attack.

The sources estimated that Israel's goal in the attack was only to convey a message to decision-making circles in Tehran that the occupation army has the military capabilities to penetrate the air defense systems that secure Iranian nuclear facilities.

The sources warned that Iran's move to move Iranian nuclear facilities to underground facilities will also reduce the ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor activities in these facilities.

In this context, the Walla website indicated that by targeting the air defense system that secures the nuclear reactor in the vicinity of Isfahan, Israel wanted to send a message to Iran that the next step would be to attack the nuclear facilities themselves.

In a report published yesterday evening, the site pointed out that Israel sent an indirect message to Russia on the grounds that the Israeli Air Force was able to target the Russian “S-300” air defense system that secures the “Nataz” reactor.

The sources strongly criticized Israel's decision to launch the attack in Isfahan, noting that both the Pentagon and the CIA considered the attack a "not a good idea."

The limited Israeli response paves the way for the attack on Rafah

In another context, Wallah pointed out that the limited Israeli response to the Iranian attack helps Tel Aviv launch its military operation in the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip.

He claimed that Israel is now required to find solutions only that guarantee the removal of the displaced from the city of Rafah and its environs, and ensure the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

For its part, Haaretz believed that the limited Israeli attack helps Israel provide international legitimacy to launch its attack in Rafah.

In a report published on its website yesterday evening, the newspaper noted that both Egypt and the Palestinian Authority have begun to accept that Israel will launch an attack on the city, noting that both Cairo and Ramallah have become busy discussing mechanisms for absorbing the displaced and managing the lives of Palestinian civilians in light of the ongoing war.

According to the newspaper, Israel prepared the ground for its massive military operation in Rafah by launching attacks around the border strip with Egypt, which is called the “Philadelphia Axis.”