Iran attack: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel ready ‘defensively, offensively’
Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said his country had been preparing for a direct attack by Iran for years. Reacting to Tehran’s drone and missile strike, he said the country was ready to respond — both “defensively and offensively”.
Iran rained over 200 projectiles on Israel, many of whom were intercepted by the latter’s defense systems. The US and UK airplanes also shot down drones, whereas Jordan shot down drones that violated its airspace.
“In recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran. Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively,” Netanyahu said.
“The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The public is strong,” he added.
Commending the United States for supporting Israel, he said that whoever harms Israel, “we will harm them”.
“We have demanded a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level headedly and with determination. Citizens of Israel, I know that you are also level headed. I call on you to follow the directives of IDF Home Front Command. Together we will stand and with God’s help, together we will overcome all of our enemies,” he said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the country’s strike was in response to Israel’s alleged strike on a consular compound in Damascus in which several IRGC members were killed, including two generals.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the Damascus attack.
Iran has vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April crimes”. It also said that Iran “deemed the matter concluded”.
“Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” it said.
Iran also warned the United States to stay away from the conflict.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke to US President Joe Biden after he concluded the war cabinet meeting.
The US has reaffirmed its “ironclad” commitment to support Israel’s security. It vowed to help Israel bolster its defense against Iran.
Israel’s military spokesperson has said that Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles, most of which were intercepted outside Israel’s borders. In total, 200 drones and missiles, including 10 cruise missiles, were fired at Israel, he added.
Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.