By Ahmed Asmar
Iran will initiate a precisely calibrated retaliation against Israel for attacking its consulate in Syria that will not trigger an all-out regional conflict, western media reported Friday.
The US Financial Times newspaper said Western diplomats concluded, based on talks between Iran and European capitals, that Iran "is preparing a response that aims to demonstrate deterrent strength while also showing restraint."
Even if Iran engages in a direct attack on Israeli territory, it will probably be "calibrated" in a manner that will not trigger "an Israeli retaliation that would lead Iranian assets in Lebanon and Syria being decimated," a Western official told the newspaper.
The diplomats the Financial Times quoted also believe that Israel could tolerate an Iranian attack that would cause "some physical damage to military facilities," but not one that causes death to military personnel, which would then "trigger a wider Israeli response."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the Israeli army is prepared to meet challenges from all fronts as tensions grow with Iran.
"We set a simple principle: Anyone who hits us, we hit them," he said.
Tel Aviv is on high alert amid fears of a possible Iranian attack on Israeli targets after threats by Tehran to retaliate against a suspected Israeli strike April 1 on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.
"Don't," US President Joe Biden said in his message to Tehran.
"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he told reporters Friday.