Zolfaghar ballistic missile. Source: Tasnim News.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on November 2 that Israel and the United States will face “a crushing response” over attacks on the Islamic Republic and its allies.
“The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei said in a video released by Iranian state media.
The remarks came amid reports of ongoing preparations by Iran and its allies to respond to the October 26 Israeli attack. Several Iranian military targets, including air defenses and missile sites, were hit during the attack, which also claimed the lives of four officers.
The attack was in itself a response to a large-scale ballistic missile strike launched by Tehran that targeted Israel on October 1.
On October 31, the U.S.-based Axios news site reported, citing two Israeli sources, that Israeli intelligence was preparing for an attack in the coming days involving a large number of ballistic missiles and suicide drones launched by Iran allies in Iraq.
Israel’s Kan also reported on November 1, citing Israeli officials, that Tehan will attack, whether directly or through its allies in Iraq and Yemen.
Following Khamenei’s remarks, Axios reported that the U.S. had warned Iran against launching any new attacks against Israel.
“We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one,” a U.S. official told the news site.
The report quoted the official as saying the message had been conveyed directly to the Iranians, though the Israeli source said a message was passed to Tehran via Swiss intermediaries.
The U.S. has already taken multiple steps to improve the defenses of Israel. Last month, the Pentagon deployed a THAAD missile defense system in the country and earlier this week it announced the deployment of additional missile defense destroyers, fighter squadrons, tanker aircraft, and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East.
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