Blinken warns Iran: Further attacks on Israel to have dire consequences

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a statement regarding the potential consequences of Iranian aggression towards Israel during a press conference following talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Blinken emphasised that efforts are ongoing to collaborate with regional partners to convey a strong message to Iran, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

"Any further attacks on Israel will have extremely negative consequences for Iranian interests," he stressed.

Commenting further, Blinken highlighted the importance of de-escalation, stating that this would contribute to easing tensions in other parts of the Middle East, including Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

The US Secretary of State further remarked, "We are collaborating with Israel to explore what can be done to effectively deter any further Iranian assaults. This is vital to ensure peace and security in the region. However, we also want to ensure that any response [from the US and Israel to Iranian actions] is executed in a manner that does not lead to an endless cycle of escalation. Such a scenario would not serve anyone's interests. This is what we are working on."

Notably, on October 1 evening, Iran retaliated against the Israeli assassination of key figures, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, by launching up to 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli military and intelligence sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Most missiles were shot down by Israeli aerial defence systems, an Israeli security official said, while a BBC correspondent in Jerusalem said some military bases may have been hit, and that restaurants and schools were hit.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintained that 90% of projectiles had hit their targets, saying hypersonic missiles had been used for the first time. IRGC sources said three Israeli military bases had been targeted.

By Aghakazim Guliyev