TEHRAN — Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran’s power to Israel after the Israeli attack on Iran two nights ago, Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Sunday.
“The evil committed by the Zionist regime (Israel) two nights ago should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated,” IRNA cited Khamenei as saying.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel’s air attack on Iran was “precise and powerful” and achieved all its goals.
“We promised we would respond to the Iranian attack and on Saturday we struck… The attack in Iran was precise and powerful, achieving all of its objectives,” Netanyahu said in a speech marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.
Israel’s strikes were in retaliation for an October 1 attack by Iran, which fired about 200 missiles at Israel, though most were intercepted by the country’s air defenses.
“Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of ballistic missiles and this attack failed,” Netanyahu said.
“We kept our promise. The air force attacked Iran and hit Iran’s defense capabilities and missile production,” he said.
Iran confirmed Israel had targeted military sites around the capital and in other provinces, saying the raids caused “limited damage” but killed four soldiers.
Iran on Saturday played down Israel’s overnight air attack against Iranian military targets, saying it caused only limited damage, as US President Joe Biden called for a halt to escalation that has raised fears of an all-out conflagration in the Middle East.
Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel’s military said.
Khamenei said Iran’s power should be demonstrated to Israel, adding that the way to do so should be “determined by the officials and that which is in the best interest of the people and the country should take place.”
AN-REUTERS