Iran vows to use all tools in response to Israel’s attack
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday that the nature of Iran's response will be proportional to that of Israel's Saturday attack.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday that the nature of Iran's response will be proportional to that of Israel's Saturday attack.
Speaking at a weekly televised news conference, Baghaei said: "(Iran) will use all available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime (Israel)".
"The nature of our response will depend on the nature of the attack," he said without elaborating.
Iran previously played down Israel's air attack on Saturday, saying it caused only limited damage, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei not calling for retaliation during his first speech after the attack.
He said on Sunday that Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel, adding that the Israeli attack should "neither be downplayed nor exaggerated".
Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn on Saturday against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel's military said.
The heavily armed arch-enemies have engaged in a cycle of retaliatory moves against each other for months, with Saturday's strike coming after an Iranian missile barrage on October 1, much of which Israel said was downed by its air defences.
Iran backs Hezbollah, which is engaged in heavy fighting with Israeli forces in Lebanon, and also the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is battling Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Baghaei noted that Iran has supported all international processes against Israel, such as those at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, saying, "We believe these processes should continue without interruption."
Also on Monday, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Hossein Salami, warned Israel of severe and unimaginable consequences for the attack.
In a message commemorating those killed in the recent attack, Salami said that Israeli attacks were thwarted by the country's air defense systems.
Echoing the words of Khamenei, Salami said that the attack indicated a miscalculation on Israel's part.
The Israeli air force conducted the strikes across various Iranian sites early on Saturday, with Netanyahu explaining that the operation’s purpose was to prevent Iran from advancing missile technology aimed at Israel.
The Israeli military said three waves of Israeli jets struck missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran's October 1 barrage of more than 200 ballistic missiles against Israel.
Israeli F-35 fighters entered Iran's airspace for the first time in during the Saturday raids. The New York Times and Axios, citing sources, reported that Israel targeted advanced Russian-made S-300 air defense batteries in Iran. "Four S-300 air defense batteries that were in strategic locations and protected Tehran and nuclear and energy facilities in Iran were also attacked."
Playing down the damage, Iran’s military said the Israeli warplanes used "very light warheads" to strike border radar systems in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and around Tehran.
