Iran's difficult decision after Israel's attacks: appear weak or escalate the conflict
Israel's airstrikes against Iran on Saturday intensify the state of war in the Middle East. The Israeli military said it hit around 20 targets, including missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missiles and other military sites. Now, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his top advisors have to decide whether avoid or risk an even worse escalation. They must choose the least bad option from a series of difficult options. At one end of the spectrum is the option of counterattacking with another wave of ballistic missiles. Israel has already threatened to retaliate again if that happens. In the other, Iran is deciding whether to end destructive exchanges of direct attacks against their respective territories. The risk for Iran, if it does not fire, is that it w...
