Ex-CIA Head Signals; Full-Scale War Inevitable if Israel ‘Goes All Out'

In a Friday interview with MSNBC Reports, Panetta, who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations, spoke about the current state of and tensions in the Middle East in the wake of Iran-Israel earlier this week. Israel has been engaged in a military invasion in Lebanon, and it killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike late last month.

“There’s going to be tough talk on all sides right now, but the bottom line is going to be what happens militarily and whether or not Israel can possibly limit its response, or whether it goes all out,” Panetta said. “If it goes all out, then Iran is going to respond as well.”  

Panetta also commented on President Biden’s relationship and attitude toward Israel, adding that it is difficult to “read” what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political actions are “all about.”  

Panetta said in the last 70 years, Israel “has never been able to achieve militarily the goals that it’s been after, a pattern that could impact future actions of the Israeli military regime.  

Fears about Iran’s retaliation on Israel for the assassination of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran have been on the rise for several months. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called the recent missile attack on Tel Aviv a “significant escalation,” as Israel vowed retribution shortly after the attack concluded.