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A former CIA Director has warned that a full-scale war in the Middle East could erupt, depending on how far Israel goes with its retaliatory strikes on Iran.

What’s the deal: In an interview with MSNBC, Former CIA Director Leon Panetta, who served under the Obama administration, said, “There’s going to be tough talk on all sides right now, but the bottom line is going to be what happens militarily and whether or not Israel can possibly limit its response, or whether it goes all out. If it goes all out, then Iran is going to respond as well.”

Biden-Netanyahu relationship: Panetta also weighed in on President Biden’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that Netanyahu’s true motives remain unclear. Recently, some on the left have claimed that Netanyahu might be rejecting various ceasefire deals due to the upcoming US presidential elections. When asked by a reporter yesterday about this speculation, President Biden did not dismiss the idea that Netanyahu could be delaying ceasefire agreements until after the election.

Netanyahu’s position: Despite the accusations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly said that he intends to achieve all the military objectives he set after the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. These objectives include completely destroying Hamas and now extend to facilitating the return of Israelis to northern Israel, who have been unable to go home due to rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah.

Last week, Israel launched ground operations in Lebanon to push Hezbollah back. According to the IDF, they aim to create a ‘buffer zone’ to allow residents to safely return to their homes.