Emile Hokayem
The Israeli strike that took place in the early hours of October 26 had been expected ever since the massive Iranian ballistic missile attack of October 1. What wasn’t known was its precise timing or the targets the Israeli leadership would pick. It will take a few days for a full picture of the damage done to emerge, but this much is clear: the attack was, by design, limited in scope, but nevertheless significant in impact.
The weeks of uncertainty over Israel’s choice of targets had made everyone — from the White House to Arab corridors of power to financial markets to expatriates in the Gulf — jittery and fearful of a potential expansion of the conflict. At the higher end were leadership sites, nuclear facilities and energy installations. In the mid-range of the options were military sites, including air defence systems and missile and drone production factories.
Targeting the former would have meant risking all-out war, which no country wanted. Choosing the latter was a way to tell Iran to go home or else.
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