ISTANBUL: Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has issued a stern warning to Israel, stating that Tehran has identified all of its military targets within the country and will respond decisively to any aggression on Iranian soil.
According to National news agency – Lebanon, Araghchi’s comments were made during an interview with Turkey’s NTV network at a regional meeting held in Istanbul on Friday. He asserted that any attack on Iran, particularly on its nuclear facilities, would be considered a severe provocation, prompting a significant retaliatory response.
“Any attack on Iran will be considered crossing a red line for us. Such an attack will not go unanswered. The necessary response will be given to any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities or any similar attack,” Araghchi declared.
This statement from Tehran arises amid increasing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a regional ally of Iran. The situation escalated when a drone launched from Lebanon struck the seaside residence of Israeli Prime Min
ister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea on Saturday. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the drone, fired by Hezbollah, caused damage to a building in the area. Neither Netanyahu nor his wife was present at the time of the attack.
In response, Netanyahu accused Iran and its proxies of orchestrating the attack and pledged retaliation. “The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake,” he stated on social media platform X. “This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies.”
Araghchi further criticized what he described as Israeli and American aggression in the region, specifically pointing to conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. He claimed that Israel’s actions in these areas were supported by the United States. “Israel cannot commit crimes in Gaza and Lebanon without the US. All the weapons used there are supplied by the US,” he remarked during the interview.
Moreover, Araghchi emphasized that Iran had refrained f
rom attacking Israeli civilian or economic targets, choosing instead to focus on military sites. However, he warned that this restraint might not persist if provoked. “We have not attacked the economic or civilian facilities… we have only targeted military facilities. Now we have identified all our targets there, and a similar attack on their targets will be carried out,” he stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his stance, asserting that “anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price. We will continue to eliminate the terrorists and those who dispatch them.”
In the wake of the incident, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, denied Tehran’s involvement in the attack on Netanyahu’s residence, accusing Israel of fabricating lies. “The Zionist regime has been formed on the basis of lies and distortion of facts. Spreading lies is the current and permanent practice of this regime and its criminal leaders,” Baghaei declared.
Araghchi, who attended Friday’s meeting
of South Caucasus nations in Istanbul following a regional tour including Jordan and Egypt, expressed concern over the escalating tensions in Lebanon. “The possibility of war in the region is always serious, and no one other than the Zionist regime wants that to happen. We want to reduce tensions, but we are ready for any scenario,” he explained.
These developments occur amid heightened instability in the Middle East, as Israel faces threats from multiple fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, both supported by Iran.