U.S. forces Israel to scale back bigger attack on Iran

The strike on Iran on Friday was originally intended to be much broader in scope, but after intense pressure from allies, Israeli leaders agreed to ratchet it down, New York Times reported.

Israel abandoned plans for a much more extensive counterstrike on Iran after concerted diplomatic pressure from the United States and other foreign allies and because the brunt of an Iranian assault on Israel soil had been thwarted, according to three senior Israeli officials.

After U.S. President Joe Biden, along with the British and German foreign ministers, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent a wider war - Israel opted for a more limited strike on Friday that avoided significant damage, diminishing the likelihood of an escalation, at least for now.

Israeli leaders originally discussed bombarding several military targets across Iran last week, including near Tehran in retaliation for the Iranian strike on April 13.

Such a broad and damaging attack would have been far harder for Iran to overlook, increasing the chances of a forceful Iranian counterattack that could have brought the Middle East to the brink of a major regional conflict.