Israel plotting ‘strategic but painful’ revenge strike inside Iran as Middle East teeters on brink of carnage

ISRAEL has carved out plans for a “strategic but painful” attack on Iranian soil, according to intelligence sources.

Now Netanyahu’s war cabinet is simply waiting for the right moment to launch as a fractured Middle East teeters on the brink of war.

Netanyahu’s forces are planning an attack on Iranian soil as world leaders urge cautionGetty

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Iran’s missiles launched during the Saturday night attack[/caption]

Israel’s war cabinet has been carving out plans for a revenge hit for days

AFP

The Middle East is teetering on the brink of war – pictured: ongoing bombardment in Gaza[/caption]

Iran and Israel have hurled tit-for-tat threats back and forth for days since Tehran’s unprecedented aerial barrage on Saturday night.

Mostly foiled by Israeli and allied force efforts – including RAF jets – the ambush saw over 300 cruise and ballistic missiles and attack drones launched.

Despite international calls for cool heads to prevail, Netanyahu’s ranks have repeatedly insisted that a retaliatory strike is the only response.

And an intelligence source revealed that Israel’s war cabinet has now agreed their revenge hit should be “strategic but painful”.

A senior US official told CNN that while the strike it is expected to be “narrow and limited”, it will land inside Iran’s borders.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are pacing themselves to “take advantage of an opportunity”, Kaan news reports.

Conflicting reports have speculated over whether Israeli forces will hit Iranian soil directly in recent days.

Such a move would undoubtedly spur on boiling tensions between the sworn enemies as some have asked whether they will aim at an Iranian embassy or proxy group instead.

UK foreign minister David Cameron landed in Jerusalem this morning and said “It is clear the Israelis are making a decision to act”.

He added that the British government is hoping Israel responds in a way that can do “as little to escalate this as possible”.

But Israel doubled down yesterday, warning Iran it wouldn’t get off “scot-free”.

Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian studies and a member of think tank RUSI, told The Sun: “My sense is the Israelis will directly hit Iranian soil.

“If they’re going to do something, they’re not going to go for proxies.

“They have to respond in a way that would be seen by their own public and the government there as an appropriate response[sic].”

PM Rishi Sunak held a crunch call with Israeli PM Netanyahu yesterday and warned the embattled leader that a strike on Iran would make his country less secure.

He warned that a “significant escalation was in no one’s interest”.

And US president Joe Biden, said to privately fear a catastrophic escalation in the Middle East, pushed him to call off all plans for an immediate retaliation on Saturday night as Iranian missiles made their way across the Middle East.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the Saturday night ambush – which included over 300 missiles and attack drones – as a “declaration of war”.

He added that it was “time the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran”.

But America has made clear that it will not contribute to a revenge hit against Iran.

Rex

A crater is seen in a road in Israel following Iran’s missile strike[/caption]

Alamy

Netanyahu on the phone with PM Rishi Sunak[/caption]

EPA

Cameron and Netanyahu in November last year[/caption]

Reuters

A destroyed Iranian ballistic missile lies on the shore of the Dead Sea[/caption]