Iran signals cease-fire could influence response to Israeli strikes

Iran’s president said Sunday that a potential cease-fire between its allies and Israel “could affect the intensity” of Tehran’s response to Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military sites last month.

“If they (Israelis) reconsider their behavior, accept a cease-fire, and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response,” President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran “will not leave unanswered any aggression against its sovereignty and security.”

The strikes, carried out by Israeli warplanes on October 26, were in retaliation for Tehran’s October 1 missile barrage, according to Israeli officials. Iran described its attack as a reprisal for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

In response to the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated on Saturday that the Iran would retaliate. “The enemies, both the U.S. and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing against Iran, the Iranian nation, and the resistance front,” Khamenei said during a speech in Tehran, referring to Tehran’s allied groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Following the October 26 strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the attack targeted Iran’s defense capabilities and missile production. Iran’s armed forces reported that four military personnel were killed, while Iranian media said a civilian was also among the casualties.

The tension comes as Israel continues to warn Iran against retaliation, with Tehran vowing that a response is forthcoming.