Israeli Cabinet meets in secret location after Iranian threat

JERUSALEM – After Iran said it would respond to Israel’s Oct 26 strikes on its missile and air defence systems in a corresponding fashion, the Israeli government moved its regular meeting to an undisclosed secret bunker.

Israeli officials said that, for security reasons, the Cabinet wouldn’t meet at its usual place in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem or in an occasionally used secure part of the defence ministry in Tel Aviv. The actual location is being kept under wraps. 

Iran said it would respond to Israel’s assault on missile and air defence systems in an appropriate fashion, without being more specific. 

 “The nature of our response will correspond to the type of attack carried out,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters on Oct 28. “Iran will not forgo its right to respond to Israel’s aggression.”

Israel’s assault was itself a retaliation for Iran’s firing of 200 ballistic missiles at the start of the month, the second such direct barrage by the Islamic Republic after an initial salvo in April. Both exchanges came amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militia groups, chiefly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that many fear will evolve into a regional war.

Israel isn’t ruling out a retaliation soon, despite initial impressions that Tehran was seeking to downplay Oct 26’s attack as unworthy of a response. Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said in the aftermath his country would “answer stupidity with wisdom and strategy”. 

The measured element of the attack helped to calm markets, with oil tumbling around 6 per cent at the start of the week and the Israeli shekel performing better than any other currency in the world.

But an Israeli defence official told Bloomberg the government is increasingly concerned Iran will strike a third time, possibly again using ballistic missiles.

The head of the Israeli military, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, said on Oct 27 that Israel had restrained itself in its attack early the previous day, involving more than 100 fighter jets and hitting key defence and missile production sites. Five Iranians were killed, four of them soldiers.

“We drew upon only some of our abilities,” Lt-Gen Halevi said. “We have the ability to do much more.”

Energy sites

Israel avoided hitting energy or nuclear facilities, in keeping with requests by the US, which is braced for a crucial presidential election on Nov 5. Washington had feared an attack on those targets in the Opec member could have triggered a surge in energy prices and even a full-blown war. 

“It looks like they didn’t hit anything other than military targets,” President Joe Biden said afterwards. “I hope this is the end.”

Israeli officials say some of what was hit on Oct 26 were systems defending energy and other infrastructure, and if Iran retaliates Israel will be able to strike back at an opponent less capable of defending itself. A spokesperson for Mr Netanyahu confirmed Israeli media reports on Monday that the prime minister, during the Cabinet meeting, said he had not given up on the option of taking action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Israel is still fighting against Hamas and Hezbollah, both considered terrorist groups by the US and others. Spy chiefs were meeting counterparts in the Qatari capital of Doha on Oct 28 in efforts to establish a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas more than a year ago. BLOOMBERG