US press reports: Will Israel strike Iran's nuclear facilities? What are the possibilities?

Senior Israeli political and military officials have announced that Israel will respond at an appropriate time and place following Iran's ballistic missile attack last week.

Approximately 180 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran into Israeli territory; while most were intercepted, some struck the Tel Nof and Hatzerim air force bases.

Since the attack, there has been much speculation and assessment regarding what Israel's response to Iran will be. Possibilities have included attacks on military bases, the destruction of launch sites and weapons, or strikes on nuclear facilities.

In a report by the American newspaper The New York Times citing Israeli officials, it was suggested that Israel's initial response to Iran is likely to focus specifically on military bases, and perhaps some intelligence bases, or even targets belonging to the leadership of the Tehran administration.

'NUCLEAR FACILITIES WILL BE LEFT FOR LATER'

According to the report, Israel does not appear to be going after Iran's nuclear "crown jewels," at least initially. According to the report, following a "major debate" within the Israeli government, nuclear facilities will be "left for later" should the Iranians continue their counterattacks.

According to the New York Times, there is a growing call within Israel, supported by some sources in the US, to seize this moment and set back the nuclear capacity of Iran—which American intelligence officials and Western experts consistently claim is on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb.

The issue of damaging Iran's nuclear facilities has become one of the topics of the presidential campaign between the two parties in the US.

While President Joe Biden and his administration are trying to dissuade Israel from the idea of attacking nuclear facilities, arguing that such an attack now would not be effective and would lead to a full-scale regional war, Republican candidate and former US President Donald Trump has argued that Israel should "hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later."

According to the newspaper, the discussions regarding an attack on Iran's nuclear program have raised new questions. Examples of these questions include:

"If Israel attacks, how much can it really weaken Iran's nuclear capacity? Or would the result just be to push Iran's nuclear program further underground? But would that also cause Iran to block the few inspectors who have regular, if limited, access to its main nuclear sites? And what if an Israeli attack leads Iran's leaders to finally decide to build the bomb here and now?"

'THERE WILL BE NO OTHER MOMENTS'

According to the New York Times, former and current senior Israeli officials have expressed doubts about whether Israel could cause "significant damage" to Iran's nuclear facilities if it were to attack alone.

Nevertheless, in recent days, senior Pentagon officials have wondered whether Israel is indeed preparing to do this alone, concluding that "they may not have another moment like this one."