Israel Prepared to Handle Any Iran Scenario, Defense Chief Says
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by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Israel’s Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Israel’s defense minister said on Sunday that the country was ready to handle any scenario after Iran threatened to retaliate for the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.
An Iranian official said on Sunday that Israeli embassies were not safe, and a semi-official news agency published a graphic showing weapons that it said would be capable of striking Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office made the statement about preparedness after he held an “operational situation assessment” with senior military officers.
“Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defense establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran,” his office said.
Iran has threatened to respond to a suspected Israeli strike in Damascus that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members, among them a senior commander.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Yahya Rahim Safavi, said on Sunday that none of Israel’s embassies were safe anymore and that Tehran viewed confrontation with Israel as a “legitimate and legal right.”
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency published a graphic on Sunday that it said showcased nine different types of Iranian missiles it says are capable of hitting Israel.
Israel has not confirmed it was behind the strike on Damascus. Its leaders have said in more general terms that they are operating against Iran, which backs militant groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which have been in combat with Israel for the past six months.
The United States is also on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.
Israel, Argentine and U.S. authorities have blamed Iran for being behind the 1994 deadly bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina’s capital, which killed 85 people and for which Tehran denied any involvement.
