By Our reporter
Responding to April 1, retaliatory attack of Iran on Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel ‘will win’ in a tweet after the attacks.
Iran had attacked Israel n response to a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria on April 1, 2024.
But soon after the reprisal attack by Iran, Netanyahu spoke to the nation, stating that the military was prepared for any scenario, with Israel claiming that nearly over 300 drones from Iran, Iraq and Yemen had been intercepted.
According to the Israeli prime minister, Israel has, especially in recent weeks, been preparing for a direct attack by Iran,” Netanyahu said.
“Our defensive systems are deployed. We are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The [Israeli army] is strong. The public is strong.” He also thanked his allies, including the US and UK, for “standing alongside” Israel.
Towards the end of Sunday, the Israeli war cabinet – comprising Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz and several observers – met to discuss a response to the attacks but were divided on how and when to respond, according to media reports.
A senior official from US President Joe Biden’s administration said Israel was not seeking to escalate the situation.
“I think Israel made clear to us they’re not looking for a significant escalation with Iran. That’s not what they’re looking for. They’re looking to protect themselves and defend themselves,” the official said.
Iran had carried out the attack on Israel in retaliation for a suspected strike by Israel that killed an Iranian military commander, Major General Mohammed Reza Zahedi, in Damascus on April 1. He was killed along with six other Iranian nationals including another general. Overall, at least six Syrian citizens were also killed. With the retaliatory attack, Iran said the matter can now be deemed ‘concluded’.
Iran has, however, warned Israel against any response. The chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, told state TV that if Israel retaliates, Iran’s response would be “much larger” than the overnight bombardment, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
Iran also warned Washington that backing Israeli retaliation would lead to the targeting of US bases.
Earlier, Iran’s mission to the United Nations cited the UN Charter’s provision for self-defence under Article 51 and said the country considered “the matter … concluded”.
“The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” it said on X. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the US MUST STAY AWAY!”
President Ebrahim Raisi issued a statement hailing the “brave men” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who “taught a lesson to the Zionist regime”.
However, a former Chief of the General Staff in United States of America, Lord Dannatt in his article in the Telegraph condemned in its entirety Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel adding that Iran has made a ‘grave error’ in a direct attack on Israel.
“As conflicted as our judgements might be about Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza, there should be no ambiguity about our condemnation of Iran’s attack on Israel. Our outrage should be as deafening as was our outrage when Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine on February 22, 2022.
“Within our developed world order there is no place for unilateral acts of aggression towards the sovereign territory of one country by another. Such actions sit totally outside the international security structure of the UN created by multilateral agreement after the chaos of the Second World War and invigilated by the UN Security Council. Iran has made a grave error in a direct attack on Israel. It is only through the technical excellence of Israel’s air defence systems and the willing cooperation of some of her allies that this attack did not result in mass civilian casualties,” The Telegraph quoted General The Lord Dannatt who is a former Chief of the General Staff.
With reports from Aljazeera