Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuked Iran for launching missiles at targets in Israel, especially the Tel Nof Airbase near Tel Aviv. He vowed vengeance saying Tehran made a big mistake and will pay for it.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said if Israel retaliates, Iran will launch a more severe and painful attack. The Iranian Foreign Minister said the attack on Israel was Iran’s inherent self-defense as stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter.
It defended Iran’s missile barrage on Israel as a decisive response. “Based on legitimate rights and with the aim of peace and security for Iran and the region, a decisive response was given to the aggression of the Zionist regime,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. “This action was in defense of the interests and citizens of Iran.”
The Ministry added that Iran is not a belligerent and stands firmly against any threat. It warned Israel against entering into a conflict with Iran. Brigadier General Nasirzadeh, a high-level officer in Iran Military, said they used a variety of missiles. “Our targets were only military and intelligence-related, and they were completely legitimate,” he highlighted. “This operation was merely a reciprocal action, but if they respond, we will begin the next wave.”
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US Warns Iran
US President Joe Biden has been trying to avoid a full-on war in the Middle East and now Iran’s attack in Israel has prompted Washington to help. Biden said he directed the US military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles. He added that the Iranian missiles were made ineffective.
“This is a testament to Israeli military capability and the US military, it’s also a testament to intensive planning between the US and Israel to anticipate and defend against the brazen attack we expected.”
President Biden warned Iran to back off saying that the United States is fully supportive of Israel. He highlighted that the US officials are in constant touch with Israeli officials and there’s an active discussion to determine when and how Israel will strike back.