Tehran: Iran’s leaders have ordered their armed forces to prepare for war in the event of an expected Israeli attack, and the extent of retaliation will largely depend on the severity and scale of those strikes, The New York Times reported, citing four unnamed Iranian officials.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed the military to prepare multiple plans to respond to a potential Israeli attack, the newspaper reported on Thursday.
The Iranian officials said that if Israeli strikes caused significant destruction and casualties, Iran would retaliate. However, limited strikes on military bases or missile depots may not lead to escalation.
Khamenei reportedly said that Iran’s response would be inevitable if Israel targeted critical infrastructure or high-ranking officials.
Potential retaliatory actions could include launching up to 1,000 missiles, boosting regional attacks by pro-Iranian groups, and disrupting energy supplies through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
On October 1, Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel for the second time in history, calling it an act of self-defense. According to the Israeli military, about 180 ballistic missiles were fired, most of which were intercepted. According to Israeli authorities, the shelling did not cause any casualties among the country’s citizens. Several media outlets reported the death of one person, presumably a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, on the West Bank of the Jordan River.
The Iranians claimed that the missiles hit Israeli military targets, while the Israelis called the damage “minimal.” The Jewish state has vowed to retaliate.
