A "senior source" familiar with the Iranian discussions, told CNN Wednesday night that there will be a “definitive and painful” response to Israel’s recent attack on its territory, likely before the U.S. presidential election on November 5.
CNN did not specify where the source came from, but it is implied from his words that he is Iranian. "The response of the Islamic Republic to the aggression of the Zionist regime will be definitive and painful," said the source. In the first days after the attack in Iran, which took place overnight between Friday and Saturday, Iran tried to minimize and downplay the damage caused to the country's military infrastructure. In Tehran they even claimed that the IDF's announcements after the attack, which said that it was successful and its goals were achieved , constitute "psychological warfare."
Mission pilots get ready to fly to Iran
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The elections in the United States will be held this Tuesday - November 5 - so if the source's words are to be believed, Iran may attack Israel in less than a week. An Israeli official responded to this Wednesday , and issued a warning: "If they give a response - they will receive back double." Knesset member Avigdor Liberman called on the political and military ranks "not to wait until the Iranians carry out their threats," and added: "We must move from waiting for a preemptive strike, from a proportional response to a clear decision. On October 26, we proved our ability, and now the order of the day is to exercise this ability in full force ".
The White House once again called upon Iran not to attack Israel. White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre was asked at a press briefing about a report about a possible attack and replied: Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation. They should not. ... If they do, we will support Israel in defending itself, but they should not," she said at a news briefing.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also addressed the issue. He said that he could not give an assessment regarding what Iran might do, but he also noted that Iran "doesn't need to respond." He did not answer when asked if Iran had conveyed a message to Washington regarding a possible attack before the elections, saying that "I will not talk about the communication between the two governments, whether it is real or imaginary. But as we have stated publicly, and Iran clearly knows this, they must not escalate this conflict."
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Satellite images show damage to the Shahrud Space Center which is used for launches by the Revolutionary Guards
(Photo: Planet Labs via AP)
Israel estimated shortly after the attack that Iran would respond - but it was not clear how. At the same time, the Israeli attacks targeted, among other things, missile production facilities, and the air defense batteries that protect Tehran were damaged, so that Iran remains exposed to future attacks.
The report on the escalation in Iranian rhetoric comes following the publication by the Associated Press, which on Tuesday revealed new satellite images from Iran, which indicate damage to another site in the Israeli attack - damage that the regime in Tehran has not reported so far. The photos show damage to several buildings at the Shahrud Space Center in the north of the country. The center, which is located about 370 km northeast of Tehran, is managed by the Revolutionary Guards, from which they launch satellites into space, but according to the AP it is also used by the Revolutionary Guards to manufacture ballistic missiles.
Iran publicly admitted that the attack caused damage to sites in the Tehran area and in the provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan in the west of the country, but it did not report any damage at all in Samnan. Experts emphasized that it is not possible to absolutely determine that the damage to the site was not caused by another reason, but they noted that the photos from before the attack did not show any damage to the site. The Planet Labs satellite images taken Tuesday show a "central" structure in the center was destroyed, with only its skeleton left standing. Near it are seen vehicles, probably belonging to Iranian officials who were sent to examine the extent of the damage. In a previous photo taken in March of this year, the building can be seen before it was destroyed, with a high blue roof.
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Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
(Photo: Iranian Leader's Press Office - Handout/Getty Images )
On Wednesday morning, Iran's Minister of Defense, Aziz Nasir Zadeh, issued several statements about the attack and threats: "There was no disruption in the pace of missile production," he claimed, noting that "Iran can launch dozens of counterattacks such as 'The Real Promise' (the Iranian name for the two attacks carried out in Israel) We will respond to any attack on our lands, even if it is a single bullet."
In addition, an Iranian lawmaker attributed the following quotes to Zada, which appeared, among others, in the "Tehran Times" and include another threat: "When the airspace is violated, the country has the right to respond to any act of aggression. Even if the Zionist regime fires an arrow at our country, Iran will not forgive That's how you will respond." The minister later claimed that "no fighter jet entered Iran during the Israeli attack. Israel's latest aggression caused partial damage - and it was repaired immediately."
The "Days of Repentance" operation , conducted in response to the barrage of ballistic missiles on Israel from Iran at the beginning of the month, was Israel's first ever declared attack on Iran. Dozens of fighter jets participated in the attack, which significantly damaged - according to foreign reports and also according to the official Israeli statements - the air defense system of the Islamic Republic and its ability to produce ballistic missiles.
In the days after the attack, senior Iranian officials stated that Tehran reserved the right to respond "at the appropriate time" to the attack, and several of them, including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, promised "painful revenge." At the same time, and despite various reports on the extent of the damage, Tehran is careful to claim that the results of the attack were limited and that the damage from them will be repaired quickly, in a way that was interpreted internationally, at least until Wednesday evening, as a possible attempt to "contain" the attack.
The final decision on a retaliatory attack will be made by Supreme leader Ali Khamenei - with the estimate that he also prefers to avoid an all-out war. A few days ago, Khamenei himself issued a non-committal statement regarding revenge: "Israel made a miscalculation and must understand the will of the Iranian people," he said. "Israel's step should not be exaggerated - nor should it be underestimated."
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