It's been an eventful day in the Middle East, and it's looking as though things are liable to ratchet up further.
Tuesday morning began with reports that the White House believed a missile attack from Iran on Israel was "imminent." Shortly thereafter, the attack materialized, with Iran raining ballistic missiles down on Israel, which, fortunately, was able to repel the attack using its David's Sling system. There was also a terror attack in Tel Aviv.
REPORTS: Iran Preparing 'Imminent' Missile Attack on Israel
LIVE UPDATES: Iran Launches Missile Attack Against Israel
UPDATED: At Least Eight Dead in Tel Aviv Attack, One Terrorist May Still Be on the Loose
While reactions to the missile attack — both from the Biden administration and abroad — have been ongoing, one thing is abundantly clear from the statements issued by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: They're not playing.
After Ohana hinted at "the end" for Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, Netanyahu let it be known that there would be a steep price to pay for Iran's attacks.
#BREAKING: Israeli PM Netanyahu:
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) October 1, 2024
"Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies. Sinwar and Deif did not understand this, Nasrallah… https://t.co/5WOuQrcnTy
"Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies. Sinwar and Deif did not understand this, Nasrallah and Mohsen did not understand this, and there are probably those in Tehran who do not understand this. They will understand. We will stand by the rule we have established: whoever attacks us - we will attack him."
Netanyahu foreshadowed this posture during his fiery speech to the United Nations on Friday, in which he declared, "Enough is enough." Shortly thereafter, Israel confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed Friday when Israel leveled Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon.
Netanyahu Gives Fiery Speech to UN Declaring Israel Has Had Enough
On Saturday, former President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took to X/Twitter to note the momentous turn of events in the Middle East and suggest that the unique opportunity to reshape the region not be squandered. It appears he is not alone in that mindset — and Iran may well have opened the door wide to just that.
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