Israel warns: ‘We will attack in Iran’ if Iran attacks us from its territory

Israel's foreign minister issued a warning on Wednesday that Israel would launch a direct attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran should the regime launch a direct attack on Israel.

In a post on 𝕏, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz addressed Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in both Hebrew and Persian, stating: “If Iran attacks from its territory – Israel will respond and attack in Iran.”

اگر ایران از خاک خود حمله کند، اسرائیل واکنش نشان داده و در ایران حمله خواهد کرد @khameneiir

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israelkatz) April 10, 2024

Many Iranian officials, including Khamenei, have repeatedly threatened to attack Israel since the alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria that resulted in the deaths of seven senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last week.

Since then, Iranian state outlets have continued to broadcast threatening messages to Israel, including infographics of the Iranian army’s different missiles with ranges capable of reaching Israel, implying a possible missile attack launched from Iranian soil.

On Wednesday, the official 𝕏 account of Khamenei had published two hostile statements against Israel.

“May God curse the usurping Zionist regime, which not only didn't stop their massacre of women, children, and defenseless people during the month of Ramadan but it even intensified the killing,” the first post read.

Shortly after, there was another 𝕏 post stating: “When the Zionist regime attacks an Iranian consulate in Syria, it is as if it has attacked Iranian soil. That malicious regime has made a wrong move. It should be punished, and it will be punished.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an operational assessment last Sunday, in light of an anticipated Iranian escalation and stated: “The defense establishment has completed its preparations for a response against any scenario that develops vis-à-vis Iran.”

“The enemy has been severely damaged in all places and therefore is looking for ways to respond - we are prepared with multi-layered defense,” Gallant added.

Israel’s official response to the numerous Iranian threats at first concentrated on calming the public and assuring a strong defense against possible attacks.

However, Katz’s comments may signal a new policy of deterrence via counter-threats.

On Tuesday, the Arabic-language news site Elaph reported that Israel is preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites as a possible response to an Iranian attack.

An unnamed Western security official told the site that Israel has been conducting secret Air Force drills to target sensitive sites in Iran, including nuclear facilities.

According to a recent CNN report, however, Iran is more likely to use its proxies to attack Israel in place of risking American and Israeli reprisal with a direct attack on Israel.