Israel army official says 'preparing response' to Iran attack

AFP , Saturday 5 Oct 2024

An Israeli official told AFP on Saturday that the military is "preparing a response" to the Iranian retaliatory missile barrage that targeted Israel earlier this week.

Tel Aviv
People take cover behind a vehicle parked along the side of a highway in Tel Aviv on October 1, 2024. AFP

 

The Israeli army "is preparing a response to the unprecedented and unlawful Iranian attack on Israeli civilians and Israel," the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.

He did not elaborate on the nature or timing of the response.

Israel's left-leaning newspaper Haaretz, quoting the army, reported that the response will be "significant".

"The military does not rule out the possibility that Iran may launch missiles at Israeli territory again after the Israeli attack,"the newspaper reported.

On October 1, Iran launched around 200 missiles at Israel, its second direct attack on the country in less than six months.

Tehran says the missiles were launched to avenge the assassinations of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed by an Israeli air strike in the Lebanese capital on September 27 and of the former political head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran on July 31.

Israel claims that most of the missiles were intercepted by its aerial defence system, despite live broadcasts showing dozens of rockets hitting the mainland.

Iran has touted the attack as "legal, rational, and legitimate," with state television reporting that 80 percent of the missiles launched at Israel hit their targets.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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