Tehran– Iran Sunday said its unprecedented aerial attack has changed the equation against Israel warning Tel Aviv that any “reckless” retaliation would receive a “much stronger response”.
Hailing the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s retaliatory attack on Israel, President Ebrahim Raeisi said “the hybrid operation taught the occupying regime an unforgettable lesson”.
More than 300 drones and missiles were launched at Israel by Iran overnight, following the 1 April Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria. It marked Iran’s first direct attack on Israel, with the two countries having waged a years-long shadow war.
President Biden said U.S. military forces in the region helped Israel intercept the Iranian drones and missiles. Britain too was part of what it described as an “international coordinated effort” to intercept the Iranian attack on Israel. Jordan “dealt with” objects that flew through its airspace overnight, the country’s cabinet said.
Following the attack, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “together we will win”, but it is unclear how his country plans to respond. Last week, Israel’s defence and foreign ministers warned that if Iran attacked Israel, Israel would strike back inside Iran.
Tehran has warned it will strike again with greater force if Israel or the US retaliate for the Iranian strike on Israel that used more 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night.
“If the Zionist regime [Israel] or its supporters demonstrate reckless behaviour, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response,” President Raisi said in a statement on Sunday.
Raisi’s statement follows a similar warning by Iranian military chief, Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, who told state TV that a “much larger” response awaits Israel “if it retaliates against Iran”.
Iranian armed forces chief of staff Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri told state TV the US had been warned – via Switzerland – that American backing of an Israeli retaliation would result in US regional bases being targeted.
“Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” the Iranian armed forces’ chief of staff, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, told state TV, adding that Tehran had warned Washington that any backing of Israeli retaliation would result in US bases being targeted.
Another top general declared that Sunday’s strikes have changed the equation against Israel, and Iran will now hit Israel directly against any aggression. “From now on, if the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, figures, and citizens at any point, it will face counterattack from within the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said IRGC Chief Maj Gen Hossain Salami.
Israel, with the help of key allies including the US, UK and Jordan, claimed to have intercepted 99% of the launches during the mass strike, but added that some ballistic missiles had reached Israel, damaging the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel.
Some projectiles penetrated the defensive shield. IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed a direct hit on an airbase in southern Israel that caused “minor damage to infrastructure” though the base remained fully operational.
Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian asserted that the Security Council’s inaction emboldened Netanyahu to disregard laws, clarifying that Iran’s military operation against Israeli Occupation was targeted and limited in scope, avoiding economic or civilian targets. He emphasized the precision of Iran’s response, targeting the launch sites of F-35 aircraft as a legitimate act of self-defense.
The New York Times cited Israeli intelligence sources as saying the main targets appeared to be military installations in the occupied Golan Heights, in the far north, and the Negev desert, in the far south.
Tehran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, fired volleys of rockets at the Golan Heights at the same time as the Iranian bombardment, and the Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed they had also joined the attack.
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