Netanyahu warns Iran of ‘sharp response’ amid reports of missile drills
Israel’s prime minister warned Iran on Monday that any hostile move would draw a sharp response, amid reports from Tehran that missile drills were under way in several cities.
Israel’s prime minister warned Iran on Monday that any hostile move would draw a sharp response, amid reports from Tehran that missile drills were under way in several cities.
“We are aware that Iran is conducting military exercises. We are making the necessary preparations,” Benjamin Netanyahu said when asked about the reported drills at a joint news conference with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus.
“I want to make it clear to Tehran that any action will be met with a very sharp response.”
Iranian state media reported missile exercises on Monday in what officials described as a defensive show of force.
The IRGC-linked Fars News agency, citing field observations and public reports, said drills were observed in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Khorramabad and Mahabad. Iran’s state broadcaster published videos that it later denied were missiles.
Netanyahu also said he planned to discuss Iran’s nuclear activities and broader regional threats with US President Donald Trump during an upcoming visit to the United States, adding that both countries’ “basic expectations” of Tehran had not changed.
The Israeli prime minister is scheduled to meet Trump on December 29 at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Axios reported on Monday that Israel had warned the United States that Iran’s missile drills could be used as cover for preparations for a surprise attack. US officials told the outlet, however, that Washington currently sees no indication of an imminent Iranian strike.
Tehran rejected any suggestion that the drills were provocative.
“Iran’s defensive capabilities are by no means an issue that can be discussed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, adding that Iran’s missile program was strictly defensive.
The renewed tensions come against the backdrop of the brief but intense June conflict, during which Iran relied almost exclusively on missile strikes after Israeli attacks degraded its air defenses and senior military command.
