Binyamin Netanyahu was strangely quiet in the days after Iran’s drone and missile attack last weekend. He made just one public appearance, in front of new conscripts to the Israel Defence Forces, where he mentioned Iran only obliquely. “I thank our friends for their support in defence of Israel,” he said. “They also have all kinds of suggestions and advice, which I appreciate; however, I would also like to clarify ― we will make our decisions ourselves. The state of Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself”.
Behind this brief statement hid long days and nights of phone-calls, visits from foreign ministers and a series of stormy cabinet meetings in which his ministers and the generals advising them pushed for a range
