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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/world/middleeast/israel-iran-war-strike.html
Israel Planned Bigger Attack on Iran, but Scaled It Back to Avoid War
(New York Times) Ronen Bergman - Israel abandoned plans for a much more extensive counterstrike on Iran after concerted diplomatic pressure from the U.S. and other foreign allies, senior Israeli officials said. Israeli leaders originally discussed bombarding several military targets across Iran in retaliation for the Iranian strike on April 13. Israel opted for a more limited strike on Friday that avoided significant damage, diminishing the likelihood of an escalation, at least for now. Instead of sending fighter jets into Iranian airspace, Israel fired a small number of missiles from aircraft positioned several hundred miles west of it. Israel also sent small attack drones to confuse Iranian air defenses. Military facilities in Iran have been attacked by such drones several times in recent years. One missile on Friday hit an antiaircraft battery in a strategically important part of central Iran, while another exploded in midair. An Israeli official said the Israel Air Force intentionally destroyed the second missile once it became clear that the first had reached its target, to avoid causing too much damage.