Leaders | The Middle East on fire

Israel should not rush to strike back at Iran

Instead it should try a novel response to Iran’s missile attack: restraint

A photo collage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Illustration: The Economist/Getty Images

The war cabinet in Israel is grappling with a perilous decision: how to respond to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on April 13th. The barrage was, fortunately, blocked with help from friends and neighbours. Should Israel “take the win”, as President Joe Biden is urging, letting a blatant act of war go unanswered? Or should it retaliate and risk sparking a regional conflagration?

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Don’t rush to retaliate”

From the April 20th 2024 edition

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