Israel Has No Choice But to Respond to Iran's Unprecedented Air Assault: Gallant

Today, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a phone conversation with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin. Gallant told Austin that Israel has no choice but to respond to Iran's unprecedented air assault.

Yoav Gallant emphasized that Israel cannot accept a new reality where it is being targeted by ballistic missiles without retaliating. Israel cannot also tolerate a situation where every time it operates in Syria, Iran will respond with attacks from its territory against Israel.

Austin, for his part, conveyed to Gallant a message similar to what U.S. President Biden had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their conversation on Saturday. He stated that everything must be done to avoid further escalation in the region.