Israeli defense chief warns of ‘lethal and surprising’ attack on Iran
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L), Israel Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar (R) and senior Israeli Air Force (IAF) officials visit the IAF command and control center, Israel on September 27, 2024. (AA Photo)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Wednesday that a potential attack on Iran “will be lethal, precise, and especially surprising.” His comments, relayed by his office, were directed at members of a division within Israeli Military Intelligence responsible for collecting visual data.
“They won’t understand what happened or how it happened, but they’ll see the results,” Gallant stated.
He noted the recent Iranian attacks, describing them as aggressive yet inaccurate. “No air force assets were harmed, no aircraft were harmed, and no soldiers or civilians were injured,” he said.
In early October, Israel reported that Iran launched approximately 180 missiles in what Tehran called “retaliation” for the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Abbas Nilforoushan. The Israeli army later acknowledged that the strike caused damage to its airbases.
Israeli officials indicated that preparations for a significant and forceful response against Tehran were ongoing, vowing not to let the attack go unanswered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a limited security consultation late Tuesday with several Cabinet ministers and top security officials to discuss operations against Iran, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu, Biden hold key phone call
In a related development, U.S. President Joe Biden and Netanyahu held their first telephone conversation Wednesday since August.
The call lasted 50 minutes, during which they discussed Tel Aviv’s potential responses to Iran.
These developments come as Israel has launched massive airstrikes across Lebanon targeting what it claims are Hezbollah positions. Since September 23, these strikes have reportedly killed more than 1,250 people, injured 3,618, and displaced over 1.2 million.
The aerial campaign marks an escalation in the ongoing cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, following Israel’s extensive offensive on the Gaza Strip that has claimed nearly 42,000 lives, predominantly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.
According to Lebanese authorities, at least 2,119 people have been killed and 10,019 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Despite international warnings that the Middle East is on the brink of regional war amid Israel’s relentless strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on October 1.
