(Dan Tri) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his warning to Iran that Israel would respond if attacked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Reuters).
`We are in challenging times. The all-out war in Gaza continues. In addition, we continue our tireless efforts to rescue hostages, but we are also preparing for
Israel’s F-15 fleet is the country’s air force’s main weapon for long-range attacks.
`We set a simple principle: Whoever attacks us, we will attack them. We are ready to fulfill our responsibility for the security, defense and offense of Israel,`
Iran has repeatedly vowed to retaliate for last week’s alleged Israeli attack on the consulate building on the grounds of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.
The incident occurred amid escalating tensions on Israel’s northern border due to almost daily attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah forces since October last year.
Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader Ali Khamenei on April 10 declared before a crowd in Tehran that Israel `made a mistake and must be punished`, referring to the attack in Damascus.
Late on April 11, a US official said Washington predicted Iran would launch an attack on Israel, but this attack was not large enough to draw Washington in.
The White House previously said Washington does not want conflict to spread in the Middle East and the US has told Iran it was not involved in the airstrike in Damascus.
The White House also said the US had warned Iran not to use the attack as an excuse to further escalate tensions in the region.
Bloomberg on April 10 quoted unnamed US officials as saying that Iran could begin retaliatory attacks on Israel within the next 24-48 hours.
According to this source, the attacks could be carried out directly by Iran or by allies such as Hezbollah forces.
An anonymous US official affirmed that Washington is committed to helping Israel deal with any potential attack by Iran, including shooting down missiles aimed at Israel.