(NewsNation) — Israel is considering its next steps following a weekend attack launched by Iran.
Fighting continues in Gaza, and amid fear of an escalating war, many nations, including the United States, are urging Israel to use restraint.
“I think it’s not only our right but also our obligation to defend our country, and I think that what we’re doing right now is trying to assess what our options are, not only in Israel but together with our international and regional allies in the Middle East,” Yinam Cohen, Midwest consul general for Israel, said on “NewsNation Now.”
In a Saturday attack, Iran launched more than 200 “killer drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles” toward Israel, according to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson.
Cohen didn’t say what action, if any, Israel is considering.
“I think what’s really clear for us is we want to bring peace and stability to the Middle East … and to do that, we cannot appease dictator regimes just like the Iranian regime,” Cohen said.
Americans’ views of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which has civil control of some West Bank areas and controlled Gaza before Hamas, have dropped since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
Among Americans, 58% have a very or mostly favorable view of Israel, the lowest rating in more than two decades, while just 18% hold a positive view of the Palestinian Authority, the lowest since 2015, according to a Gallup World Affairs survey conducted in February.
Cohen, however, said U.S. President Joe Biden and European nations showed their commitment to Israel over the weekend. By his estimation, efforts by pro-Palestinian protestors haven’t been effective, he said.
“I really think that if these people are trying to get sympathy for their cause, this is not the right way to do it,” Cohen said. “They make a lot of people very angry, and I think they totally fail in what they’re trying to achieve.”