Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has again warned Israel against mounting a military counterattack after Iran’s recent airstrike on Israel.
During a telephone conversation with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Raisi warned that “the slightest action” by Israel against Iran’s national interests “will have extensive and painful consequences.” Details of the call were published on Tuesday on the web portal of the Iranian presidential office.
Iran has recently warned Israel several times not to launch a military response to its massive attack, which saw hundreds of drones and missiles fired at Israel on Saturday night.
The Iranian response to any further Israeli action would be “at least ten times more drastic” than the first attack, the country’s Security Council said in a press release.
In a telephone conversation with Raisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on all parties in the Middle East conflict to exercise restraint.
Putin expressed hope that a new round of confrontation would not take place, the Kremlin press service reported on Tuesday.
An escalation could have catastrophic consequences for the entire region, he said. Russia has not explicitly condemned the Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Iran fired more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israel this weekend. Israel and the allied defenses intercepted almost all the incoming fire.
Iran said it was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.
So far, Iran has opted for the least severe form of punishment for Israel, the Iranian Security Council said in its press statement on Tuesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz launched what he called a “diplomatic offensive” against Iran after the attack. “This morning I sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures around the world,” Katz wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
He called for sanctions against Iran’s missile program and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be declared a terrorist organization. Katz believes these measures would help slow down and weaken Tehran.
“Iran must be stopped now – before it is too late,” he wrote.
Katz wrote that Israel’s diplomatic campaign against Iran must be accompanied by a military response to Tehran’s attack.
Israel’s military leadership has indicated it has no intention of letting the attack go unanswered.
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said the counterattack would take place on Iranian military facilities.
Israel will not attack civilian targets, although Tehran’s attacks were certainly aimed at civilian targets, Prosor told German broadcaster Welt TV on Tuesday.
The Israeli response would be “against these military facilities of the mullahs and the ayatollahs,” Prosor said in German.
But he added that Israel would have to respond. It is important for the region that this deterrent is “very clear”.
While emphasizing Israel’s determination to respond, Prosor declined to provide details. “When, where and how: that is something for our war cabinet to decide,” he said.
He called on Israel’s allies to understand Israel’s position and impose stricter sanctions on Iran.
While Israel listened to its friends, it had to respond to Iran’s unprovoked attack with more than 300 missiles aimed at killing Israeli civilians, he said.
