Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has threatened a decisive response against the United States and the occupation.
Speaking through his Hebrew-language account, Khamenei stated, “The United States and the Zionist entity will receive a decisive response for their actions against the Iranian people and the resistance front.”
On Thursday, the head of Khamenei’s office, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, during a memorial ceremony for Hezbollah leader Safi al-Din, asserted, “Iran will inevitably respond to the Israeli attack on its territory.”
He added: “Our response will be severe, and the enemy will regret it. The performance of the Iranian air defense was strong, preventing Israeli fighter jets from entering Iranian airspace. The damage from the attack was minimal.”
Earlier, three Iranian officials familiar with war plans stated that the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had instructed the Supreme National Security Council to prepare for an attack on the occupation, according to the “New York Times.”
The newspaper detailed: “The officials stated that Khamenei made the decision after reviewing a detailed report from senior military leaders on the extent of damage to Iran’s missile production capabilities, air defense systems around Tehran, vital energy infrastructure, and the main port in the south.”
According to the “New York Times,” quoting the officials, Khamenei noted that “the scale of the Israeli attack, as well as the number of casualties – with at least four soldiers killed – was significant enough that it cannot be ignored, and not responding would mean admitting defeat.”
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that “military leaders were preparing a list of dozens of military targets inside Israel, but the attacks are likely to occur after the American elections; as Iran was concerned that another wave of tension and chaos in the region might benefit former President Donald Trump in his re-election campaign.”
According to the newspaper, Israeli leaders also indicated their readiness to launch more direct attacks on Iran if necessary.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that recent attacks on Iran had enabled Israel to inflict more damage in a second round of strikes.
He added: “Israel today enjoys greater freedom of action in Iran than ever before. We can reach anywhere in Iran, as needed.”
Tehran confirmed that it “reserves the right to a legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time.”
