Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel of a “heavier and regrettable” response if Jerusalem plans a counterattack on Tehran. “Any new aggression against the interests of the Iranian nation will be met with a heavier and regrettable response,” CNN quoted Iran’s state news channel IRIB as saying.

Iranian foreign minister also warns of a larger response

Similar statements were also echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian who warned Israel and the United States of a much larger response if there is any retaliation for its mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory overnight. The response from the top leaders came as Israel said “The campaign is not over yet”.

“At this juncture, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of continuing defensive operations,” he posted on X, and added: “But if necessary, it will not hesitate to protect its legitimate interests against any new aggression.”

Amirabdollahian called the attack “exercising the right of legitimate defence” and said it shows Iran’s responsible approach to “regional and international peace and security.”

Iranian Army Chief warns US and Israel 

Earlier today, Iranian Army Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri warned on television 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.

It is worth mentioning 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. 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 the US, Britain and Jordan. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said despite thwarting the attack, the military campaign was not over and “we must be prepared for every scenario”.

(With inputs from agency)

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