Iran warns of 'crushing response' over Israeli airstrikes
Iran's highest political and spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel and the USA with a "crushing response" to the attacks by the Israeli army and its allies, according to the Associated Press (AP) report on Saturday. The politician did not specify the timing or scope of the retaliation.
"The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States, will certainly receive a crushing response for what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and the resistance front," Khamenei stated in a video released by Iranian state media.
AP noted that the leader announced his intention to retaliate at a time when Iranian officials are increasingly threatening another strike on Israel following the attack that occurred on October 26. The attack targeted, among others, Iranian military bases, resulting in at least five fatalities.
Iran will respond to Israel's recent retaliatory attacks
According to a report prepared by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) using Western media sources, Iran intends to respond to recent Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacks by deploying one-way strike drones and ballistic missiles. As reported by the "New York Times," Khamenei instructed Iran's Supreme National Security Council on October 29 to plan a retaliatory attack on Israel.
ISW reports that in recent months, Iran has deployed Shahed drones with a range of approximately 600 kilometers and 2,500 kilometers, as well as Iranian KAS-04 and Al Arfad drones. Additionally, they have used Arqab cruise missiles with a range of over 1,600 kilometers in attacks on Israel. Since 2018, Iran has also possessed short-range ballistic missiles, including Zelzal, Fateh-110, and Zolfaghar. These have not been used in attacks on Israel since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, 2023.
ISW reported that the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq claimed responsibility for nine drone attacks that occurred on Thursday and Friday, targeting unspecified locations in Israel. A source close to Shia militants recently warned that the group plans to double the number of attacks against Israel in November.
AP reported that Ayatollah Khamenei met with students on Saturday to commemorate the November 4, 1978, attack by Iranian soldiers on protesting students from the University of Tehran against the rule of Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Several students were killed and wounded in the shooting, escalating tensions in Iran, which eventually led to the Shah fleeing the country and the Islamic revolution in 1979.
On Sunday, Iran will mark the 45th anniversary of the so-called hostage crisis at the US Embassy. The assault on the diplomatic facility and the taking of hostages by Islamic students on November 4, 1979, led to a 444-day crisis between Iran and the USA.
