Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED, via Flickr; Flag of Israel., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Flag of Iran, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

Israel launched an attack on Iran Friday morning, striking the city of Isfahan in central Iran at 5 am local time. Now the Biden administration is in hot water after it seemingly notifyied American media of Israel’s involvement.

Iran sought to downplay any significant damage to its military facilities, according to a report from The Daily Mail. It also outright denied any nuclear plants were destroyed and Iranians claimed it was an “explosion at a factory” in an attempt to avoid escalation.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli official security and governmental sources said “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Israel retaliated where they were attacked,” on Friday. Israel would not accept responsibility for this attack for strategic reasons, according to the Post.

Israeli sources, however, informed the Post that they were unsure of why the Pentagon disclosed to the American media that Israel was involved, pondering why they did not remain silent. Now Iran’s reputation and dignity is in question.

The outlet notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the entire security and diplomatic leadership, has been stationed at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv for the past 24 hours. 

They have been actively coordinating with regional partners in Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Israel has not yet accepted responsibility for the attack at this time, however.

The Washington Post reported that Iranian state media downplayed its response to the attack, stating that its air defense systems intercepted “three small drones” in Isfahan province, where sensitive facilities such as an Iranian military base and key nuclear labs are located. 

Israel's long-range military capabilities made the attack seem insignificant, despite the strategic importance of these targets.

The outlet continued by saying Israel remained silent about the attack and Iran minimized its importance, so both sides appeared to be aiming to appease their domestic audiences without the need for further escalation.

Security expert at Australian National University Charles Miller said, “I would actually think that we will be surprised and that things may very well wind down.” 

“It seems that actually both sides want to be seen to be doing something without actually undertaking the risks of doing anything that’s too provocative,” he added.

The Biden administration, despite previously indicating to Iran that a low-key strike on Israel would be acceptable, decided to inform the press about the impending Israeli attack for some reason. 

This action essentially alerted the entire world to Israel's plan, potentially catching Iran off guard. The move also seems contradictory, especially considering the administration's history of issuing warnings to various regimes that often go unheeded.