Why Israeli and Iranian officials downplayed apparent retaliatory strike in central Iran

William: Welcome to the newshour. There is an uneasy calm across the Middle East after both Israeli and Iranian officials had muted responses to Israel's retaliatory strike in central Iran. The region had been on edge since an attack on Israel. Reporter: It is not every day that something explodes near and Iranian bays during a time of intense regional tension but today that is what happened and all sides are trying to downplay it. Near the central city of isfahan this morning, Iran's air defense targeted small drones but former military and intelligence officials tells pbs newshour this was an Israeli strike your a guard to bays nuclear technology center. By day, Iranian state TV showed isfahan quiets. >> Life is going on according to normal. Reporter: And a local Iranian military commander says there is not much to see here. A sound heard early in the morning today in esfahan was not an explosion, it was our powerful air defense hiring at a suspicious object. It caused no damage at all. Reporter: Which is apparently how both Iran and Israel wanted it. Israeli officials refused to claim credit. The only exception was indirect criticism. The far right security official tweeted a word that best translates to "Laying. -- Lame. But an Italian official revealed this. >> The U.S. Was informed at the last minute but there was no sharing by the U.S., it was your information. I think that what happened was also a result of the g7. Reporter: For six days, president Biden and the group of seven industrialized countries urged Israel to show restraint. To Iran's unprecedented April 14 at attack with more than 300 missiles and drones launched from Iran towards Israel and response to Israel killing seven senior Iranian generals in Syria. In public, all U.S. Officials would say today is that the U.S. Did not play any parts. >> I'm not going to speak to that except to say that the U.S. Was not involved in any offensive operations. Reporter: And Europeans urged more restraint. Reporter: At one point last night the U.S. Was so concerned about further violence it restricted the movement of U.S. Officials inside Israel. For perspective we turn to Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of foreign policy at the workings institution, a Washington think tank whose work focuses on Iran and the middle East. What do you think the message is that Israel is sending to Iran with this strike? Suzanne: I'm glad to be here. I think the Israelis were trying to demonstrate to Iran that they can penetrate its air defense system. The Iranians were not able to do the same. They are also trying to demonstrate the capabilities that the Israeli military can bring to bear. It did so in a calibrated and focused way in the attack last night but the message from the level of sophistication from the operation from what we are learning from some of the reporting being done suggests this is something that would pose a real threat to Iran if Israel chose to attack Iran's nuclear sites or other key elements of its military-industrial complex. Reporter: I pointed out that this location is near a major irgc base and some nuclear facilities. Why does that particular message land well in Tehran? Suzanne: For a long time I think the Iranians have been concerned about a potential Israeli strike on their nuclear infrastructure and they have taken a lot of steps including the air defense system to try to ensure that the Israelis could not succeed doing so. I think the attack last night showed the Israelis could, if they chose, take out key nodes of the program. To take out the program as a whole would take more capacity and necessitate the involvement of the U.S. But the strength sent a -- the strike sent a message to Iran. Reporter: We saw little implicit criticism from the is really far right that this did not go far enough. This was not a direct mirroring of the attack on Iran. This is not the same scale nor did Israel claim credit for the attack. Why? Suzanne: I think the Israelis are reacting and a way that is responsible and calibrated and that is important to ensuring they don't find themselves spiraling up in an escalatory way out of control. I think the U.S. And the g7 leaders as you suggested have also been influential in helping persuade the Israelis they have time to demonstrate to the Iranians that there will be a price to be paid for the attacks that took place last weekend. The Iranian attack was completely disproportionate to anything we have ever seen. It was unprecedented. I suspect what we saw last night was the first of a number of steps the Israelis will take to make sure that Iran does not repeat that kind of attack again. William: Why is Iran downplaying the attack practically suggesting it did not happen? Suzanne: That is par for the course for the as la Mike republic. There have been other incidents over the years are attributed to Israel dispiriting away of the Iranian nuclear archives which was done by mossad. The Iranians never acknowledged that these incidents took place. They tried to blame them on other terrorists. They want to reassure their own population that they are in control and I think there is a desire to avoid any sense that there is the potential of a larger military conflict. Reporter: We saw yesterday a mid-level Iranian commander suggesting that any further violence could change Iran's nuclear posture. Iran claims its nuclear program is civilian. What empire could the latest violence have on the thinking of Iran's leadership about pursuing nuclear weapons? Suzanne: I think it is clear that the long commitment suggests this is not a civil nuclear objective they have with respect to their nuclear program. With everything we know from the archives and other sources suggest it is clearly designed for military purposes. They have not yet taken the final steps, they have not weaponized. They could move them closer than they are today which is closer than at any point in history to nuclear weapons capabilities such as leaving the nonproliferation treaty or fully kicking out the international atomic energy agency. I think there is a lot of trepidation in the international community about those kinds of moves. It would be a various step from the Iranian government. Reporter: You have pointed out that the current generation of Iranian leaders is different from their previous generation of leaders that came into power in 1979 when the shah was overthrown and you say the new generation is more dangerous and unpredictable. Suzanne: What we have seen in the last decade is an increasingly risk tolerant Iranian leadership. Those that served on the front lines and who have been involved in the development of a proxy network across the broader Middle East want to use force and are prepared to use it. They have engaged in the kind of behavior that has targeted U.S. Officials such that some are still under protective custody. They also jumped on board with the Russian war in Ukraine in a way that no other country in the world has by supplying drones that have made a major difference in Russia's efforts. I think what you see is a leadership that is more prepared to engage in maligned behavior and feels insulated by their relationships with Russia and China. Reporter: Thank you very much. ♪♪

Channel: PBS NewsHour

Views: 19,257

Keywords: Iran, Israel, middle east, israel strikes iran, Sanctions, United Nations, iran-israel

Id: JiQwPSgXAjM

Length: 9min 25sec (565 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2024