Israel's limited attack on Iran is a 'deescalatory strike' that allows both ... trends now
The alleged Israeli attack on Iran this morning was so measured that it could be considered a 'deescalatory strike', experts have claimed, as both sides can ill-afford an all-out war.
The city of Isfahan in central Iran was struck at 5am local time, with Israeli drones reported to have targeted an Air Force base which long has been home to Iran's fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats - purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Isfahan is also a known hotbed for Iran's nuclear research and houses drone production plants - but the attack is thought to have caused little material damage, and no casualties have been reported.
Iranian officials sought to downplay any significant damage to its military facilities and outright denied any nuclear plants were destroyed, while Iranian state TV this morning released footage of an undisturbed Isfahan to cast doubt on reports the city had been hit.
Dr Andreas Krieg, an expert on Middle Eastern security and Senior Lecturer School of Security Studies at King's College London, told MailOnline that such a limited strike could be seen as an effort by Tel Aviv to climb down from a major kinetic conflict.
'If this is the extent of Israel's retaliation it could be described as a deescalatory strike. The use of small drones such as quadcopters provides a degree of plausible deniability that could help Iran downplay the effect of the attack.
'We could say that this attack makes a return to the shadow war that has been ongoing for years if that is the extent of it.
He added: 'The Iranians would have to respond to a strike that is not deniable or involved Israeli jets over Iran - but this attack does not cross the threshold. Neither side wants an all-out war.'
Iranian officials meanwhile told Reuters that Tehran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, contradicting statements made by several senior politicians earlier this week.
'The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,' one Iranian official said on condition of anonymity.
Strikes have hit at least one target in Iran, US officials reportedly confirmed. The extent of the damage and exact location of the attack is unclear (unconfirmed image)
Unconfirmed footage shared on social media appeared to show anti-aircraft fire striking over the city of Isfahan in central Iran, which hosts one of the nation's nuclear facilities
In the days following Iran's bombardment of Israel with missiles and drones last Saturday, Israeli ministers vowed to strike back, with Tel Aviv's hawkish National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declaring his nation must be prepared 'to go beserk' on Tehran.
As such, the small-scale strikes were not received well by the hard-right elements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's War Cabinet, with Ben-Gvir himself deriding this morning's explosions in Iran as 'feeble'.
But analysts say Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted in Israel with dozens of hostages still in captivity in Gaza after six months of war with Hamas, finds himself in a difficult position.
Israel can ill-afford a major conflict with Iran, particularly as the IDF is stretched to capacity amid the ongoing military operations against Hamas and intermittent skirmishes with Hezbollah at the northern border with Lebanon.
But international vitriol over the IDF's brutal six-month bombardment of Gaza, which has so far caused the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians in just six months, dissipated following Iran's strike last weekend, with the US, UK and other allies reaffirming their support for Israel in wake of Tehran's aggression.
With this in mind, Dr Krieg added that Netanyahu may pursue a campaign of limited strikes on Iranian soil - or focusing attacks on Iran's proxies in the region.
'I think a
