Amidst anticipation of Iran's response to the Israeli airstrike on its Damascus consulate, Israel's military chief emphasizes his country's readiness for both offensive and defensive actions against Iran.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Sunday that the Israeli military “knows how to deal with Iran, in attack and defense.” He made the remarks as Iranian officials threaten to retaliate for Israel’s April 1 air strike that killed seven IRGC officers, including a senior commander of Quds Force, the extraterritorial wing of the IRGC.
Highlighting that Israel is “in a multi-front war,” Halevi said that “IDF troops are prepared and operating in all arenas, in the south, in the north, in Judea and Samaria and in more distant arenas.”
Halevi also highlighted that Israel is “cooperating with the United States and with strategic partners in the region," and that the IDF can “act forcefully against Iran in both near and distant places.”
“Iran does not only threaten Israel, but the entire Western and Arab world, Iran is a global problem, was and remains, the big problem,” he underlined.
His remarks came a few hours after Iranian General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the top military advisor of the Supreme Leader, reiterated threats against Israeli embassies worldwide, saying none of them are safe anymore. According to Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Safavi said, “The shadow of fear and terror looms over the occupied lands, and the Zionists see the specter of death in their dreams every night.”
Halevi said that the IDF is fully prepared, emphasizing that “There is no reason to panic, but there is also no room for complacency. We must be aware of the situation, and always ready.”
He says that since the beginning of the war in Gaza, “Iran has tried to disavow and hide from direct involvement in it, but we know that it activates, directs, finances and transfers knowledge to all its proxies in the region, from Hezbollah, through Judea and Samaria to Yemen.”
Echoing the same sentiments, Israel's defense minister stated earlier in the day that his country was ready to handle any scenario that may develop with its foe Iran as it stayed on alert for a possible retaliatory attack. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office made the statement after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers.
While the IRGC and its media outlets clamor for war and a swift response, commentators and some senior clerics advocate a measured approach, warning that the strike might be a trap to drag Iran into a direct conflict.
Israeli attacks have killed 18 senior IRGC officers since December, a trend that has become difficult to explain away by the Islamic Republic.
Many regional countries would like to see Iran directly involved in a war with Israel because it will inflict great damage on the country, two Iranian commentators said Sunday. “The interests of all actors in the region today lie in dragging Iran into war," said the former chairman of Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh.
