Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, stated on Monday that Tehran will “use all available tools” to respond to Israel’s weekend attacks on military targets inside Iran.
According to Reuters, Iran downplayed Israel’s airstrikes last Saturday, claiming the attacks only caused limited damage. Meanwhile, US President Biden has called for de-escalation of the conflict, as the intensification of the conflict raises concerns about a full-blown war in the Middle East.
Baghaei said in a weekly televised press conference, “Iran will use all available tools to make a clear and effective response to the Zionist regime (Israel).”
He added that the nature of Iran’s response depends on the nature of Israel’s attack, but did not provide specific details.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, stated on Sunday that Iranian officials will decide how to demonstrate Iran’s strength to Israel in the best way possible. He emphasized that Israel’s attacks should neither be played down nor exaggerated.
The Israeli military reported that before dawn last Saturday, dozens of Israeli warplanes carried out three waves of strikes on missile factories near Tehran and in western Iran, as well as other locations.
For months, these long-standing enemies have been engaged in retaliatory actions against each other. Saturday’s attacks were in response to Iran’s missile strike on October 1st, which Israel claims its air defense system shot down most of the missiles in that attack.
Iran supports Hezbollah, engaged in fierce battles with the Israeli military in Lebanon, and also supports Hamas, a radical Palestinian group fighting against Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, Reuters cited Iran’s official news agency IRNA, reporting that Khamenei stated Iran should demonstrate its power to Israel and added that “the way to do this should be decided by officials in a manner that best serves the interests of the people and the country.”