Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned on Tuesday that Israel will respond in kind should Iran launch a direct attack against it.
“If Iran attacks from its territory—Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” tweeted Katz. The minister tagged Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the X post.
London-based newspaper Elaph reported on Monday that Israel will strike targets in Iran if the Islamic Republic retaliates for the targeted killing of an Iranian general in Syria on April 1 which Tehran has blamed on Israel.
A Western security official told the Arabic-language paper that Israel has conducted secret air force training in recent days, involving long-distance flights and rehearsals of strikes on sensitive sites in Iran that may be tied to that country’s nuclear project.
אם איראן תתקוף משטחה - ישראל תגיב ותתקוף באיראן.@khamenei_ir
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 10, 2024
Senior sources in the Iranian regime told Reuters on April 4 that Tehran would provide a “serious response” to the killing of its high-ranking commander, suggesting however that it would seek to avoid a direct clash with Israel and the United States.
Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the attack in Damascus which killed Brig. Gen. Mohammad Zahedi, but four officials told The New York Times that Jerusalem ordered the strike.
An adviser to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Israeli embassies are no longer safe, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
An Iranian retaliatory attack could include “a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles,” according to U.S. intelligence, CBS News reported on April 5.
Several Israeli embassies around the world have been temporarily closed, diplomats recalled and officials told not to come to consular buildings for fear of an Iranian attack.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Israel is ready for any scenario that may develop regarding a threatened Iranian response.
The Israel Defense Forces has been placed on high alert, resulting in combat soldiers’ weekend leaves being canceled and the military calling up additional reserve soldiers to the IDF Aerial Defense Array.
