On Thursday — just hours before Israel launched a missile strike on Iran in retaliation for their attack over the weekend — Iran’s foreign minister issued a stern warning to Israel.
In an interview with CNN, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian vowed that Iran’s response to any further military action by Israel would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”
He went further to promise a “decisive, definitive and regretful” counter-attack should Israel’s army strike Iran.
Iran's response to any military action by Israel would be "immediate and at a maximum level," Iranian foreign minister tells CNN https://t.co/UCbI0g0FFk
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 19, 2024
CNN reported:
Iran’s response if Israel takes any further military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN Thursday, as fears rise of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
“In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level,” Amir-Abdollahian told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an exclusive interview in New York.
His remarks come in the wake of an unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel last week that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria – placing the region on edge as Israel vowed to strike back in return.
Hours after Amir-Abdollahian’s comments, an explosion was heard close to the airport in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reported early Friday, citing local sources.
NBC News added:
Iran’s foreign minister issued a stern warning to the Israeli government earlier today. In an interview with CNN, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian cautioned that Iran’s response to any attacks from Israel would be “decisive, definitive and regretful.”
“We do not seek to create tension and crisis or increase such situations in the Middle East, and we sincerely hope the Israeli regime does not repeat this egregious error,” he added.
Just hours after the Iranian foreign minister made these comments, explosions were heard in the Iranian province of Isfahan as Israel launched their retaliatory attack.
ABC News has the latest update:
Israel, early Friday morning local time, launched missiles in a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The missile launches follow Iran’s attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials previously said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s war cabinet have met several times since the Iran strikes, and as ABC News previously reported, at least two strikes were previously aborted.
So, it looks like it’s on…
What do you make of this?
How will Iran’s respond to Israel’s attack?
Watch CNN’s full interview with Iran’s foreign minister for yourself here and decide for yourself:
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