retaliation, n. action taken in return for an injury or offense
A couple of headlines:
Bloomberg: Syria-Fired Missile Strikes Israel, Triggering Retaliation
US News & World Report: Syrian Missile Explodes in Area Near Israeli Nuclear Reactor, Israel Retaliates
From the US News & World Report story:
"An Israeli military spokesman identified the projectile as an SA-5 surface-to-air missile fired by Syrian forces against Israeli aircraft. He said it overflew its target to reach the Dimona area, 200 km (125 miles) south of the Syrian border. ... In public remarks on Thursday's incident, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the anti-aircraft missile was fired from Syria during an Israeli strike there against 'assets that could be used for a potential attack against Israel.'"
The Israelis weren't "retaliating" for the missile that landed near Dimona. There was no "injury or offense" by the Syrians to "retaliate" for. The Syrians were doing the retaliating, and the Israelis were punishing them for having the gall and temerity to defend themselves.
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