MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. Israel's retaliatory strikes against Iran would surely do a disservice to the United States, because the administration of the incumbent head of state Joe Biden surely does not need this march of events ahead of the upcoming elections, Alexander Maryasov, who served as Russia's ambassador to Iran in 2001-2005, said in a roundtable discussion on the latest developments in the Middle East.
"It is clear that the neighbors of Israel and Iran demand restraint. The United States, too, by no means needs retaliatory bombings by Israel, because they could drag it into hostilities. The Biden administration on the eve of the presidential election does not need this at all," said Maryasov.
The head of the department of Eurasian integration and SCO development at the Institute of CIS countries, military expert Vladimir Yevseyev, has drawn attention to the fact that the US in light of the upcoming elections "is unlikely to switch all its resources to confrontation with Iran."
The expert admitted the possibility of Israel’s limited strike against Iran. He recalled that Israel had at its disposal German-made Dolphin-class submarines capable of launching cruise missiles.
"Launching cruise missiles is quite possible. There may be a limited strike that will not worsen Israel's and the United States’ relations with Saudi Arabia and with other Arab countries. It would sort of ease tensions that may emerge, if there is an air strike," he added. "However, the submarines have limited cruise missile capabilities. The cruise missiles that Israel uses, as far as I understand, are not hypersonic. Missiles of this type would be easily intercepted by ground-based air defenses. Aircraft could be used, too, to shoot them down. The effectiveness of such a strike may not be high enough."
As a result, according to the expert, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may find himself under severe criticism at home. "Nevertheless, such a limited strike is possible in principle. I think that in all likelihood there could be a strike from the submarines that Israel has," Yevseyev said.
Israel-Iran confrontation
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel, calling it a response to "numerous crimes," including an attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Iran’s official media said the strikes were against Israeli military targets. The Israel Defense Forces said they intercepted 99% of some 350 Iranian projectiles flying toward the Jewish state, with minor damage to Nevatim air base.
The Washington Post quoted its sources as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the IDF to brief him on likely targets for a retaliatory strike against Iran that would send a message but not cause casualties.