Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani stressed on Monday that Tehran would not wait to respond to Israel’s potential attack, vowing that its response would occur “within less than a few seconds.” On April 13, the Iranian military launched an aerial attack on Israel, in what it described to be a military operation in retaliation for Israel’s deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria’s capital city of Damascus earlier this month. The Pentagon previously refused to reveal any information about Israel’s potential response to the Iranian rocket barrage. Israeli media reported that Israel does not plan to engage in an “all-out war” with Iran following the latest developments.
Iran warns against support for Israel, vows strong response
Iran’s Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi issued a warning to Western leaders, urging them to cease their support for Israel, which he referred to as a “moribund regime” engaged in terrorism. Shekarchi emphasized Iran’s stance against war expansion but vowed to respond to any aggression, asserting that Iran “will cut off any hand that attacks our country.” “Any aggression from ‘Israel’ or its supporters will be met with a stronger response than before,” the spokesman said.
Netanyahu: Iran ‘threatens world peace’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday stated that Iran “threatens world peace” and urged the international community to “stand united” against Iranian aggression,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The prime minister also thanked the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other allies for their help in thwarting the Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel launched on Saturday night. Furthermore, Netanyahu said that US House of Representatives Majority Leader Steve Scalise expressed his support for Israel in a phone call, and informed the prime minister “of his initiative to advance in Congress, in the coming days, a series of measures against Iran and for Israel.”