Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant postponed his trip to Washington this week, where he was to meet his counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The Israeli Ministry of Defense explained that Gallant is consumed by plans for Israeli retaliation for Iran’s firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish State.

Unofficially, it was reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preventing Gallant’s visit until he received a call from President Biden. The root cause for Netanyahu’s demand may have been Biden’s series of profanity-laced quotes about the prime minister that appear in Bob Woodward’s new book, “War.” Biden finally spoke to Netanyahu on Wednesday, though there are as yet no reports that Woodward’s book was discussed.

Whatever the reason for Gallant postponing his trip, Israel will not drop its plans for retaliation against Tehran. It simply cannot do so. Ever since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the ayatollahs have been unequivocal about their determination to extinguish the Jewish State. Iran is a true existential threat for Israel.

How Israel might retaliate has been a matter of intense speculation ever since Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack on Israeli military and civilian targets. In contrast to Jerusalem’s relatively moderate........

© The Hill