Former senior government official: Israel will not respond to Iranian attacks “for a while”

Former Israeli Foreign Ministry director Aron Riel says the situation will calm down within 24 hours after Iran's attack, and the government will refocus on the Rafah attack plan in Gaza.

“We already know that the war cabinet has not approved the response measures, and America is also heavily involved in it, so it looks like Israel won't respond for a while and will return to work in Gaza,” Riel told Al Jazeera.

He pointed out that there are two things Prime Minister Netanyahu must resolve in Gaza: the release of prisoners of war and the “Hamas battalion.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu may use the wave of support for Israel caused by Iran's attacks and go to Rafah. However, it cannot be done without sufficient coordination with America. Because if you don't go back to Rafah, you can't describe the war as a victory.”