Iran yesterday warned Israel and the US of a “much larger response” if there is any retaliation for its mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory overnight, as Israel said “the campaign is not over yet.”
The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch Middle East foes and dragging in the US has put the region on edge as Washington said the US did not seek conflict with Iran but would not hesitate to protect its forces and Israel.
Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.
Photo: Reuters
However, the attack from hundreds of missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down with the help of Jordan, the UK and the US.
An air force base in southern Israel was hit, but continued to operate as normal and a seven-year-old child was seriously hurt by shrapnel. There were no other reports of serious damage.
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Abdollahian said Tehran had informed the US that its attack on Israel would be “limited” and for self-defense.
“We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media ahead of a planned 3:30pm meeting of the war cabinet to discuss a response to the attack.
Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant said despite thwarting the attack, the military campaign was not over and “we must be prepared for every scenario.”
Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official overnight as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.
Global powers Russia, China and France, as well as Arab states Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates urged restraint.
Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri said that “our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran” and told Washington its bases could also be attacked if it helped Israel retaliate.
US President Joe Biden has pledged “ironclad” support for Israel against Iran, but did not announce any military response on Saturday night, saying instead he would coordinate a diplomatic response with other Western leaders.
However, the US House of Representatives would make a change in its schedule to consider legislation that supports Israel and holds Iran accountable, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement on Saturday.
“The House of Representatives stands strongly with Israel, and there must be consequences for this unprovoked attack,” he said in a statement.
More details would follow, he said.
Scalise’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking clarification of what legislation would be considered.
It was unclear whether he was referring to a stand-alone bill to aid Israel, or the US$95 billion supplemental spending bill that includes US$14 billion for Israel, in addition to US$60 billion for Ukraine, support for Taiwan and billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance.
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