Tehran's Response to Israel's Countermeasures to Be Swift, Comprehensive, Iranian Diplomat Says

© AP Photo / Vahid SalemiA model of a missile is carried by Iranian demonstrators as minarets and dome of a mosque is seen at background during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024.
A model of a missile is carried by Iranian demonstrators as minarets and dome of a mosque is seen at background during an anti-Israeli gathering at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.04.2024
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ANKARA (Sputnik) - Tehran does not seek escalation in the region, but Iran's response to countermeasures by Israel will be swift and comprehensive, Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh said on Tuesday.
"The strike by Iran [targeting Israel] was necessary, proportionate and was directed only at the military targets used in the terrorist attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The Iranian armed forces did not strike economic centers or civilian population centers. The purpose of the operation was to send a clear message to the other side. Iran does not seek to escalate the conflict in the region. Therefore, after the operation, Iran said that the issue is closed for it, but if the Zionist regime takes countermeasures, its response will be swift and comprehensive," the ambassador was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Aydinlik.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Israel will face an immediate and more large-scale response if it decides to continue escalating tensions with Tehran.
"If the Israeli regime wants to continue its ventures and the escalation of the situation, the retaliation will be immediate and even more large-scale," Amirabdollahian was quoted by the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying in a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Tehran's primary goal is to warn Israel on the potential circumstances of crossing the red lines, he added.
On Saturday night, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attack came in response to Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital in early April. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel had intercepted 99% of the aerial targets fired by Iran, including all drones.
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