I think you say this if you feel you must strike back, but you don’t actually want to cause damage. Causing damage could create a chain of reprisals. But doing nothing would set expectations that you will let attacks go unanswered which you also can’t do. That’s my guess.
Discussion
Both sides can now feel victorious and things can calm down. Depending on who you believe an air base in Israel was either completely destroyed or only lightly damaged. Which will suite the purposes of both countries just fine.