The dark sky flared with light again and again as numerous flying objects streaked across it.

From the night of April 13 to the following morning, local time, Iran launched a massive assault on Israel. Watching the news, I was surprised by the sheer number of Iranian drones and missiles deployed, which reportedly exceeded 350.

The scene reminded me of the Gulf War that began with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

In 1991, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein provoked Israel by firing 39 missiles at it, a direct attack launched by a state.

But Israel did not respond to the provocation and stayed out of the Gulf War. The reason was that Israel valued its relationship with the United States, which effectively led the multinational force for the liberation of Kuwait.

Israel was lauded for refraining from retaliating against Iraq even when its citizens were harmed.

Now that Israel has just undergone the first direct attack on it in 33 years, will it retaliate this time?

Iran’s action was in retaliation for the Israeli air attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria. Were Israel to retaliate against the Iranian drone and missile attack, that would constitute an act of retaliation against Iran’s retaliatory action.

Such events could trigger a rapid deterioration of the already precarious state of affairs in the Middle East, which is simply too dreadful to even contemplate.

The situation is all the more worrisome because of Gaza’s dire condition.

Israeli investigative journalists reported this month that Israeli attacks against Gaza that started last October have been assisted by artificial intelligence technology.

The AI system that was employed drew up a list of tens of thousands of targeted individuals and had a sensor system capable of instantaneously detecting when targets arrived at their homes.

With the approval of the Israeli army, entire buildings housing the targets were destroyed. This explained why women and children make up a significant portion of the fatalities in Gaza.

However, the Israel government has refuted the report in an official statement.

The war Cabinet now is reportedly discussing how to respond to the Iranian drone and missile attack.

Is self-restraint no longer an option for Israel?

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.