JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with the nation’s security chiefs on Wednesday, following Iran’s launch of 181 missiles into Israel. The incident has heightened fears of a wider regional war.

Digital interviewed military and Iran experts to discuss the growing likelihood of a full-scale confrontation between Israel and the Iranian regime.

“After the Iranian missile attack on Israel, it’s clear that Iran is the primary source of terror and death in the Middle East. Up until now, Israel has been engaged in a reactive strategy against Iran’s proxies, fighting Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others,” Yaakov Katz, author of “Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power,” told Digital.

Katz, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), continued, “With Iran directly attacking Israel, the time has come to confront Iran directly. The Iranian leadership must be held accountable for their actions.”

On Wednesday, Amos Harel, a military analyst for the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, wrote a headline that declared: “After an unprecedented Iranian attack, we are in a regional war.”

For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been recognized as a source of instability, terrorism, and aggression in the Middle East. In 2010, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urged the United States to  take military action to dismantle Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons facilities.

Iran’s strikes on Israel forced nearly 10 million people to seek refuge in bomb shelters on Tuesday. This was the first time in Israel’s history that densely populated cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem faced such devastating attacks. Despite the surprise attack, Israelis remained relatively calm and did not panic.

The only fatality from the Iranian barrage was the  (known in Israel by its biblical regional name of Judea and Samaria).

“Tonight Iran attempted to kill thousands of Israeli men, women, and children, but thanks to our incredible defense system, Iran failed miserably. Tehran is hurting after witnessing its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen be defeated by Israel. Tehran made a grave mistake tonight and will pay a heavy price at a time and place of our choosing,” Lt. Col. Yoni Chetboun, former deputy speaker of the Knesset and an IDF special forces operator in reserves, told Digital.

Chetboun was a decorated special forces operator during the Second Lebanon War, where Israel fought the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in 2006.

Prior to Iran’s military strike on Israel in April, Digital reported that the Biden-Harris administration  would provide significant funding to Iran’s proxy forces, according to experts.

The issue of billions of dollars being sent to the Iranian regime came up during the vice presidential debate on Tuesday. Republican Senator JD Vance stated, “Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration.

“What do they use that money for? They use it to purchase weapons that they’re now using against our allies. And God forbid, they could even launch them against the United States.”

Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert, commented, “The conflict between the Iranian regime and Israel  is not a recent development. It predates the events of this year or even Oct. 7 of last year. The roots of this conflict can be traced back to 1979, when the mullahs came to power and promoted a doctrine that demonized the ‘Great Satan’ (the United States) and the ‘Little Satan’ (Israel). 

“Over the past 45 years, the Iranian regime has consistently targeted American and Israeli interests, using terror proxies to carry out its strategic objectives against both nations. More recently, U.S. policies that have enriched the mullahs have contributed to billions of dollars being funneled into establishing a formidable encirclement around Israel through the regime’s various proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza, and the West Bank.”

In April, the Iranian regime launched a massive aerial attack on Israel, utilizing over 300 suicide drones and missiles. Jerusalem responded to the Iranian missile barrage with a  strike on a facility in Iran’s Isfahan province.

Daftari, editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk news website, added, “Israel’s recent military actions signify a shift from the more restrained stance observed in April, when the nation’s defensive capabilities against missile threats were seen as a victory. The recent strategic strikes in Lebanon highlight Israel’s intensified efforts to neutralize persistent existential threats.”

She acknowledged that Israel has historically responded with tit-for-tat actions but noted, “Israel is now prepared to take decisive action to eliminate this looming threat, with its focus now squarely on the regime in Tehran.”

David Wurmser, a former senior adviser for nonproliferation and Middle East strategy for former Vice President Dick Cheney, told Digital, “This is a war between Israel and Iran that began as a direct war on April 14. The war is a struggle between a nation ruled by a tyranny that seeks to eliminate the other. Either Iran or Israel, but not both, will emerge from this war not only as the victor but also as the survivor.”

He explained that the so-called “ring of fire” that Iran constructed around Israel was not only designed to choke Israel by initiating a violent war of attrition and isolation, including closing ports and preventing international airlines from flying to Israel, but also to act as a defensive deterrent against Israel, shielding Iran from any potential proactive action by Israel against Iran. , the strategic linchpin of the proxy network at the center of that ring of fire, as the greatest threat Israel faces, Iran was left fully exposed to the full weight of Israeli power.”

He echoed the strong language of Israel’s military and political leadership, which “promised to inflict severe pain on the regime of the Iran’s supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei… Iran will surely now feel the vulnerability as the Israelis, no longer fearing Hezbollah or Iran, will shift the war from defense to offense against Iran’s regime,” said Wurmser.

He added, “The mistake Iran made, as do its proxies and its supporters in the West protesting on campuses, is not that they underestimate Israel’s capabilities and its unity, but that they have internalized their own ideology that Israel is a fake, fragile colonial entity rather than a deeply rooted civilization. Israel has shown that despite its mistakes and setbacks, its internal strength surpasses that of any of its neighbors.”