Israel vows retaliation with unseen force if Iran escalates conflict

In a recent visit to Ramon Air Force Base, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi issued a stark warning: should Iran launch a new attack against Israel, Israel will retaliate by striking targets it has yet to engage, using capabilities not previously deployed. 

Halevi’s comments were part of a speech to servicemen, underscoring Israel’s readiness and determination in response to ongoing regional threats.

The IDF’s media wing later distributed Halevi’s statements to highlight the military’s current strategic posture, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“If Iran makes a mistake and launches another rocket attack on Israel, we will know how to reach Iran and will strike a very strong blow, using capabilities we did not resort to the previous time. This includes targeting Iranian assets and specific sites that we have deliberately postponed targeting until now,” Halevi stated. 

Halevi further elaborated on Israel's decision to hold back from targeting certain sites in Iran, explaining it was for a “very simple reason” — the anticipation that Israel may need to respond again to new acts of aggression. “This situation is ongoing, and we are still in the epicentre of this event,” he added, emphasizing the continuous state of alert that Israel maintains.

Addressing the IDF personnel at Ramon Air Force Base, Halevi noted the military’s high readiness across all fronts. "We are operating in Lebanon, in Gaza, combating terrorism in the West Bank, and conducting activities in other distant theatres,” he said.

This warning from Halevi follows a series of recent hostilities between Israel and Iran. On October 26, Israel conducted strikes against military installations within Iran, which the Israeli army described as a response to “numerous and sustained attacks.” Iran’s air defence forces later confirmed that sites in the provinces of Ilam, Tehran, and Khuzestan were targeted, although they reported the damage as limited.

These recent developments come on the heels of Iran’s large-scale missile strike against Israel on October 1. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of Iran's armed forces, announced the attack as retaliation for the assassination of two key regional figures: Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, and Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah. According to Israeli military reports, approximately 180 rockets were launched towards Israel in the Iranian attack, most of which Israel’s defence systems intercepted.

By Tamilla Hasanova