Israel’s top general says Iran WILL see ‘an answer’ despite Western calls for calm: Hawks demand Netanyahu smash ‘thugs’ amid fears lackluster drone barrage leaves Tehran ‘never closer’ to developing NUKES

Israel has vowed it will respond to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile strikes over the weekend, despite Western calls for calm as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.

Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant Herzi Halevi said Israel is still considering what steps it will take, but was unequivocal in declaring that the Iranian bombardment of his country on April 13 ‘will be met with a response’.

Leaks from Israel’s War Cabinet have reportedly suggested a ‘painful’ revenge attack on Iran is being planned that will not cause mass casualties, although hardliners have demanded Netanyahu show it is willing to ‘go wild’.

As Benjamin Netanyahu continues to debate what retaliation it will trigger, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to use a phone call with the Israeli prime minister today to urge him to exercise ‘restraint’.

But leading defense voices, including the respected former minister Ben Wallace, have urged Western leaders to support Israel in its response to ‘thugs’ like Iran – and even stand up to the regime themselves if necessary.

“Everyone agrees that Israel must respond,” an Israeli official told the Washington Post. ‘How to respond, when to respond, is the question.’

It comes as the UN nuclear watchdog chief expressed concern on Monday that Israel would potentially target Iranian nuclear facilities when he announced that inspections were paused on Sunday and would resume on Monday anyway.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi said Iran shut down its nuclear facilities temporarily for ‘security reasons’ and that while they reopened on Monday, he was keeping IAEA inspectors away ‘until we can see that the situation is completely calm.’

When asked about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Grossi said: ‘We are always concerned about this possibility.’ He called for ‘extreme restraint.’

While Benjamin Netanyahu walks a “drum roll” between escalation and deterrence, former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace did not back down from his words of warning.

“The only way to deal with a bully is to retaliate,” he said. ‘The only option when Iran and Russia strike, I have concluded, is to hit back twice as hard and not stop until they get the message.’

Saturday’s Iranian attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military attack on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The attack came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

The Israeli military says 99 percent of the roughly 350 drones and missiles fired by Iran were intercepted with help from other countries, including the United States, Britain and France.

Despite the unprecedented scale of the strike, experts have said it exposed Iran’s “blank” arsenal, signaling how its antiquated aircraft and defenses would be no match for Israel’s in the event of a full-scale war.

“I think the attack, which was designed to be spectacular but not fatal, really puts the limits of Iran’s deterrence,” Ali Vaez, who heads the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group.

He added that if Iran’s regional deterrence is reduced, Tehran will “probably consider the ultimate deterrence, which comes in the form of nuclear weapons,” adding “they have never been closer”.

Iran may be seeking to acquire modern aircraft and weapons with the help of Russia, according to one Washington Post report last night which suggested that Moscow has made promises to its ally to help secure its defense against Israel.

Citing intelligence officials, the paper reported that Russia is ‘bringing forward’ deals negotiated in secret to supply Iran with Su-35 fighter-bombers, which could contribute to a dramatic upgrade of Iran’s aging air force.

Moscow also promised technical help with Iranian spy satellites and rocket-building assistance aimed at launching more satellites, the officials were quoted as saying.

Rumblings of the IRGC becoming a terrorist organization in the UK have been going on for months now, and since the attack Mr Sunak has come under increasing pressure to designate Iran’s military as a terrorist group following its attacks on Israel.

The prime minister condemned Tehran as a ‘despotic regime’ in the wake of its unprecedented missile blitz over the weekend.

Sir. Sunak praised RAF pilots who helped shoot down more than 300 drones and missiles fired at Israel by Iran on Saturday night – and said defending Israel’s security was a ‘non-negotiable’ priority for Britain.

But he faced calls from both senior Tories and Labor to take tougher action against Tehran, including formally banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Tzipi Hotovely, supported the move, saying Iran was also a threat to Britain.

She told LBC: ‘Maybe the UK will be next with these kind of drones… they won’t hesitate to do this.’

In the Commons yesterday, Mr Sunak said: ‘With this attack, Iran has once again shown its true colours. They are intent on sowing chaos… on further destabilizing the Middle East. We are working quickly with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed.

‘We want to see calmer heads prevail and we are directing all our diplomatic efforts towards that.’

Sir. Sunak also acknowledged that Iran’s behaviour, including the actions of the IRGC, “pose a significant threat to the safety and security of the UK”.

The IRGC acts as an elite military force for Iran’s regime and works closely with Hamas and Hezbollah, which are already designated terrorist groups. Banning the IRGC would squeeze its ability to operate in the UK by making it a criminal offense to deal with it or promote it. It would also effectively label Iran a terrorist state.

But Whitehall sources warned that banning the IRGC would make it impossible to speak to the organization directly, removing a valuable diplomatic back channel.

The move is opposed by Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, who has spoken of the need to have ‘diplomatic channels as a route to de-escalation’, including on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged the Prime Minister to ‘put Britain’s security first’, adding: ‘We have known for years that the IRGC is the world’s main sponsor of terrorism.’ Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Prime Minister: ‘All roads lead back to Tehran when it comes to the horrific violence and wars in the Middle East.’

Labor also supported tougher action against the IRGC. Sir Keir Starmer said Iran is “a regime sponsoring terror throughout the Middle East and beyond, murdering and oppressing its own people and supporting Putin’s war effort in Ukraine”.