Hours after firing a barrage of missiles at Israel, Iran said that its retaliatory action against Jerusalem’s alleged provocation is over and it doesn’t wish to continue the operation. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said that if Israel escalates further, then Iran would respond strongly. He said that Israel conducted the operation because the ‘Zionist regime had crossed Iran’s red line and it was unacceptable’. Baqeri said that Israel’s air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus led to Tehran’s military response earlier today.
Iranian Army’s Statement
“The Zionist regime’s act to target Iran’s consulate in Damascus and to martyr the Iranian legal advisors who were present in that country upon the invitation of the Syrian government was crossing red lines that all countries except two or three supporters of the Zionist regime condemned,” said Major General Mohammad Baqeri, adding that Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei had said ‘this punishment must be done’.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning on Sunday through a second statement, following drone and missile attacks on military sites in Israeli-occupied territories. These strikes were in retaliation for the regime’s assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. The IRGC cautioned the US against supporting or engaging in actions detrimental to Iranian interests. It pledged a proportional response to any American or Israeli threats, regardless of their origin.
Israel’s Response To Attack
Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country has long been ready for a direct assault from Iran and will retaliate against any entity that poses a threat to Israel. Netanyahu thanked the United States, Britain and France for standing alongside Israel. “We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level-headedly and with determination,” said Netanyahu in a statement.
What Iran’s ‘Operation Over’ Message Indicates?
Hours after firing missiles at Israel, Iran sought no further escalations. There was growing anger among the Iranians following Israel’s repeated strikes against the IRGC. Iran was appearing weak by not taking any action against Israel. Thus, the Khamenei government appears to have taken a calculated risk by firing missiles at Israel after issuing a warning beforehand. Iran is well aware of Israel’s air defence system and knows that most of the Iranian missiles would get intercepted and destroyed mid-air. But it will send a strong political message to the home crowd that the ruling government is not weak. Notably, after Iran’s attack, people went on celebratory mode in Tehran and other parts of the Islamic republic. They were holding Iranian flag and shouting slogans.
Iran Attacks Israel
Following Israel’s alleged air strike at Iran’s consulate in Damascus killing several top officials of the IRGC, Iran had warned of retaliatory action. Iran today fired around 300 drone explosives and cruise missiles at Israel. While Israel claimed to have intercepted 99% of the missiles, some landed on its territory causing minor damage to military installations.
