Israeli leaders vowed Monday that the weekend’s Iranian attack “will be met with a response” as Jerusalem appears poised to brush aside the Biden administration’s call for diplomacy and de-escalation and instead opt for more aggressive retaliation against Tehran.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issued the promise during a visit to Israel‘s Nevatim air base, which suffered light damage after Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel during Saturday’s attack. The U.S., with nations across Europe and the Middle East, have appealed for calm in the wake of that attack. Because about 99% of the Iranian munitions were shot down, and Israel suffered minimal damage, much of the world community has urged Israel to avoid the kinds of military steps that could lead to a full-blown war with Iran.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government appears to have concluded that a response is necessary. The country’s war cabinet, formed in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group, has reportedly decided that it must hit back “clearly and forcefully” against Iran, according to a report by Israel‘s Channel 12.

There are a host of options on the table for Israel, including direct strikes against Iran’s oil infrastructure or perhaps cyberattacks that could cripple the Iranian military and its ability to communicate with proxies across the region. A strike on Iran’s nuclear sites is widely seen as one of the most extreme options and one that analysts warn would almost certainly spark a counterstrike by Tehran.

Hours before Gen. Halevi vowed an Israeli response, the U.S. again publicly called for Israel to restrain itself.

“The U.S. is committed to Israel‘s defense. And I think what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression, of an attack,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “In the 36 hours since, we have been coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation. Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin.

Saturday’s Iranian attack came after an April 1 strike by Israel on a portion of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. That strike killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi and other Iranian officials.

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.