FLASH
Shkruar nga Dominic Waghorn
Tehran says it will hit not only Israel but also the Gulf states, which could draw the US, which is committed to defending the emirates...
The streets are empty. Religious Jews are at home. Others walk the traffic-free boulevards here in Tel Aviv.
The coastal city is the calm before the storm. Because as its wars focus north and south, another, larger front may soon open.
In Gaza, Israel has launched a ground offensive in recent days, in the same place for the third time.
Hamas has re-emerged north of the strip and Israeli fire has killed many civilians, including women and children.
Israel's critics believe it is trying to clear all of northern Gaza to make it an occupied zone, something its government denies.
In the north, Israel's "limited operation" in Lebanon looks more like a long-term occupation with each passing day.
Expanding into the western coastal sector, its forces have now caught UN peacekeepers in their crossfire (the Israelis say wrongly). They targeted Hezbollah, located near the base of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
France, Spain and Italy have issued strong diplomatic reprimands over what they say they believe was deliberate targeting of international peacekeepers.
Although the sounds of war have not reached Tel Aviv in the last 24 hours, there was a powerful explosion last night. A Hezbollah drone flew north of Israel and evaded air defenses, crashing into an apartment block in the upscale area of Herzliyya. No one was hurt.
At the military security headquarters of Kirya in central Tel Aviv, the Israelis are planning their next move against their archenemy, Iran.
Israel's cabinet met on Thursday but is said to be without a final decision on how to retaliate for Iran's second direct attack on the country earlier this month.
The letter envisages an attack on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons facilities.
Advocates say Israel will never have such an opportunity, but admit it will probably be impossible to completely destroy it without American help, which has been ruled out.
Opponents say it could have the opposite effect, accelerating Iran's ambition to build an atomic bomb.
Other plans include hitting Iran's economy, especially its oil industry.
It will also hurt the Iranian people and may encourage them to rally around their vilified regime - risking a much bigger war.
Tehran says it will hit not only Israel but also the Gulf states, which could attract the US, which is committed to protecting the emirates and their military assets based there. This would be a very dangerous moment for the region and the world.
The most compelling option may be to hit the regimen where it hurts the most. To target its military, the hated IRGC and other bodies that so brutally suppressed nationwide unrest in recent years.
The Iranian regime has lost all legitimacy in the minds of its people, Western diplomats insist.
Or on this national day of reflection, the Israeli prime minister may have other, more cryptic options to consider.
Israel has heavily infiltrated Iran with spies and agents, carrying out many assassinations and acts of espionage.
Could there be anything more asymmetrical? After all, Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said a few days ago that his retaliation would be "stunning."
The regime day has a few hours left. The calm won't last long here, Israel's next move will soon become clearer, and with it, potentially, an even bigger war. /Adapted "Pamphlet" from "Sky News"
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