JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel is ready to handle any scenario that may arise with Iran, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday, after Tehran threatened to retaliate for the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.
An Iranian official said earlier that Israeli embassies were not safe, and a semi-official news agency published a graphic showing weapons it said would be capable of striking Israel.
Gallant’s office issued the statement about Israel’s preparedness after he held an “operational situation assessment” with senior military officers.
“Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defence establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran,” his office said.
The Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, said Israel “knows how to deal with Iran – offensively and defensively”.
“We know how to act forcefully against Iran in both near and distant places. We are operating in cooperation with the USA and strategic partners in the region,” he said in televised remarks.
Iran has threatened to respond to the suspected Israeli strike in Damascus last week that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members, among them a senior commander.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Yahya Rahim Safavi, said on Sunday that none of Israel’s embassies were safe anymore and that Tehran viewed confrontation with Israel as a “legitimate and legal right”.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency published a graphic on Sunday that it said showcased nine different types of Iranian missiles it says can hit Israel.
Israel has not confirmed it was behind the strike on Damascus. Its leaders have said in more general terms that they are operating against Iran, which backs militant groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which have been in combat with Israel for the past six months.
The United States is also on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.
Israel, Argentina and the U.S. have blamed Iran for being behind the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. Tehran has denied any involvement.
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Ros Russell, Frances Kerry and Giles Elgood)
