Majority of Israelis oppose counter-attack against Iran: survey

A new survey found that 52 percent of Israelis do not support military retaliation against Iran over the recent attack so that de-escalation could be given a chance, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) said in a statement on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The remaining 48 percent argued that Israel should respond even if it means extending the current round of the conflict.

The survey was conducted on April 14-15 with 1,466 adult respondents consisting of a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Israel.

Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night in retaliation for a deadly Israeli assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Israeli authorities have since vowed a decisive response without mentioning how and when.

According to the survey, 28 percent of the participants support military action even if it leads to a larger overall war, 34 percent oppose it, and 38 percent are not sure.

Taking a scenario that the attack will undermine Israel's security alliance with its allies, a significant majority of 74 percent oppose counter-attacking at such a cost, while the remaining 26 percent think Israel should strike back whatsoever.

Also, 56 percent of Israelis believe that Israel should respond positively to political and military demands from its allies to ensure a sustainable defense system over time, while 12 percent disagreed.

According to the survey, 59 percent believe that American aid to Israel against the Iranian attack obliges Israel to coordinate security actions down the road with the United States, while 15 percent disagreed.

Regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas fighting in the Gaza Strip, 44 percent of the Israelis support military action in the Palestinian city of Rafah at the cost of a crisis in Israel's foreign relations and damage to its relations with the United States, while 25 percent disagreed.

Also, 43 percent of the Israelis believe that Israel should rely on its allies in the future settlement of the issue of the day after in Gaza, while 24 percent oppose this.