TEHRAN: President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel it will face a “painful response” if it takes the “slightest action” in response to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile barrage at the weekend.
Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel, which began on Saturday, was in response to an April 1 air strike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus which has been widely blamed on Israel.
The strike levelled the five-storey consular annexe of the Iranian embassy and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.
“We firmly declare that the slightest action against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and painful response,” Raisi said in a call late Monday with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Raisi reiterated that Iran was acting in “self-defence”, saying the operation targeted Israeli bases used to carry out the consulate strike, a statement from his office said.
He criticised the support of some Western government for Israel.
Israeli armed forces chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed on Monday to respond to the unprecedented attack, even after appeals for restraint poured in from world leaders fearing wider regional conflict.
“This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Halevi told troops at the Nevatim airbase, which was hit in Iran’s Saturday night barrage.
The Israeli army has said the vast majority of the weapons were shot down - with the help of the United States and other allies - and the attack caused only minimal damage.
Iran said it had informed the United States and given a 72-hour warning to neighbouring countries ahead of what it called its “limited” attack on Israel.
