Netanyahu has done what the world warned him not to

Israel’s strike on Iran on Friday morning will not come as a surprise to Western observers – but it will cause great concern in Washington and London as the region tips closer towards an all-out war.

Following Iran’s attack on Israel on April 13, itself a response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate, Tel Aviv was clear a response would be required.

That night, Joe Biden talked down Benjamin Netanyahu from launching an immediate response, warning him that America would not support or join in any offence against Iran.

The president reportedly told the Israeli leader to “take the win” from his stunningly effective air defences, which restricted the effect of the Iranian strikes to a damaged plane and a battered runway.

However, that advice has not been heeded universally by Mr Netanyahu’s colleagues.

Israel’s war cabinet has since been locked in negotiations about the timing, scope and location of a military response.

For some “doves” in the Israeli government, the risk of all-out war with Iran was simply too great.