Israel has been tipped to respond to the drone and missile attack launched by Iran on Saturday night.

And, according to Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, Israel may hit targets with the aim of disrupting or even destroying the Iranian nuclear weapons capability.

The retired British Army officer, who served from 1977 and 2006, told GB News: “I think we should also bear in mind that Iran is on the cusp of developing a nuclear weapons capability, which is designed specifically, although not only, but specifically to target Israel.

“And Israel can’t allow that to happen, and it may be that in the course of the retaliation for this attack, Israel is able to destroy… or at least severely disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons capability.”

While Colonel Kemp believes Israel will launch a counter-attack against Iran, he does not think there will be an all-out war between the two countries – which could drag the whole region, if not the world, into a conflict.

An Israeli counter-attack is not “much a question of defeat [of Iran] as a question of severe retribution for this attack in order to deter Iran from ever doing anything like this again”, he noted.

Tehran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, which consisted of more than 300 drones and missiles.

For the first time in the troubled relations between the two countries, Iran aimed at Israeli territory, marking a huge escalation in their tensions and plunging the world into fears of a new, major conflict.

The Israeli defence systems, paired with the intervention of some of the country’s allies who helped shoot down the drones and missiles, made the Iranian attack largely unsuccessful, with only a handful of ballistic missiles reaching Israeli territory.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation to the April 1 strike against its consulate in Damascus, Syria, which Tehran has blamed on Jerusalem – while Israel has not acknowledged its role in it.

Following the massive strike on the weekend, Iran said it considered the matter close – but would not hesitate to attack again should Israel retaliate.

Israel‘s allies have urged the government to de-escalate tensions, but the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, has heavily suggested there will be a military response.

He said: “This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response.”

The US has already stressed it will not support Israel in a possible retaliatory strike, and on Monday the White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, told CNN Washington has been “very clear” it doesn’t want a war with Iran.

He added: “We don’t seek to widen and broaden this conflict. We don’t want to see things escalate.”