Iran prepared to respond to potential Israeli attack, FM warns

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has declared that the country is ready to respond immediately to any potential attack from Israel.

In an interview with Turkish television channel NTV, Araghchi emphasized that while Iran is prepared for such a scenario, it hopes that tensions do not escalate to that level, Caliber.Az reports.

"Iran is prepared for an Israeli attack; we will respond without delay, but we hope it does not come to that," Araghchi stated during the broadcast.

He further indicated that any Israeli aggression towards Iran would be considered a "red line," prompting a proportional response.

"For us, any aggression against Iran is an absolute taboo. We will not remain idle in the event of such an attack," the minister underscored.

He assured that Iran stands ready to retaliate against any strikes on its nuclear facilities or similar acts of aggression, adding that Israel can expect a symmetrical response to any attack.

Notably, the Middle East is edging ever closer toward a full-blown regional war as Israel vowed to respond to Iran’s huge barrage of ballistic missiles fired at the country on October 1 night, capping a day of dramatic military escalation in the region.

Iran launched a salvo of about 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli military targets, its largest ever such attack, sending sirens blaring across Israel and activating the country’s sophisticated defensive systems.

The escalation came about 24 hours after Israel launched a ground war in Lebanon to go after Hezbollah, a powerful militant group that is backed by Iran, and days after Israel killed its leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on Beirut.

Following Iran's attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Iran would pay for its missile attack against Israel.

By Khagan Isayev