Iran Suggests It May Retaliate After Deadly Israeli Strikes
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Tehran suggested Saturday that it may retaliate against Israel for pre-dawn Israeli air strikes targeting military sites that “killed at least four military personnel” and “damaged radar systems in Iran.”
“I think we’ve shown that our determination to defend ourselves knows no limits,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
He made the remarks on the official website of Iran’s frail 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is reportedly seriously ill.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted sources as saying that Iran is ready to respond to any “aggression” from Israel, adding that the Jewish nation will “undoubtedly face a proportional reaction for any action it takes.”
Yet complicating matters for Iran is that Ayatollah Khamenei, who was reportedly moved to a secure location to avoid a possible Israeli assassination, is facing a quiet battle over his succession.
There is internal disquiet over the possibility that Ayatollah Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba, 55, might succeed him, The New York Times newspaper reported. The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will have a significant say and is considered more willing to confront Israel.
Israel has warned Iran not to retaliate against its operations, which showed that Israeli fighter jets could freely penetrate Iranian airspace without being shot down.
SHAH BIRTHDAY
The Israeli military chose a symbolic date for what was described as its largest operation against Iran to date, code-named “Days of Repentance.”
The “Days of Repentance” came on the birthday of the late Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, who was dethroned during the Islamic Revolution 1979.
A year later, the war with Iraq broke out. That was the last time, until early Saturday, that Iran was attacked by combat aircraft.
Israel’s operation involved over 100 warplanes, spanned more than 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) and targeted around 20 military sites, including missile, drone, and radar installations, Worthy News reported earlier.
Israeli planes involved in the action returned – as far is known – without a scratch.
Experts say the attacks were “painful” for the Iranian army and the country’s Revolutionary Guard as they reportedly mobilized for an Israeli attack.
Worthy News established that Israel deemed the strikes successful despite plans being leaked ahead of time on the social media messaging platform Telegram.
FBI INVESTIGATION
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was probing a leak of highly classified documents that appear to show Israel’s plans to attack Iran.
These documents were prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which analyzes images and information collected by American spy satellites.
The NGA is part of the United States intelligence community and conducts sensitive work supporting clandestine and military operations.
U.S. President Joe Biden is “deeply concerned” about the leak of documents that contain the Washungton’sassessment of Israeli plans to attack Iran, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
The documents, marked top secret, were shareable within the Five Eyes intelligence alliance of the U.S., Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, CBS.
Israel’s leadership says it ordered the strikes in response to Iran firing some 200 missiles toward Israel earlier this month and Tehran’s support for proxies targeting the Jewish nation.
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