Israel's Stern Warning to Iran, 'Tehran Will Burn If Iranian Missiles Attacks Continue '
Tel Aviv (The Uttam Hindu): Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued a stern warning to Iran that if it continues missile attacks on Israel then "Tehran will be burned." This statement came after Iran fired several missiles in response to Israel's attack on its nuclear, missile and military installations.
At a high-level meeting attended by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Mossad chief David Barnea and other military officials, Katz said, “The Iranian dictator is holding his own citizens hostage and creating a situation in which the residents of Tehran in particular will pay a heavy price.”
Katz directly warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying, "If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at Israeli civilians, Tehran will burn." According to the IDF, Iran has fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel since last night. Most of these were destroyed by Israeli air defenses, but about 25% of the missiles could not be intercepted as per the set protocol and some fell in open spaces.
The Israeli army said that some missiles evaded the defense system and reached residential areas, causing loss of life and property in cities like Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion. Three Israeli civilians were killed and about 70 people were injured in these attacks. However, the IDF said that all military and air force bases are functioning normally.
Apart from the 100 drones launched by Iran on Friday, many other drones were also fired during the night, which were shot down by the Israeli Air Force and Navy. Meanwhile, IDF chief Eyal Zamir and Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said that "the way to reach Tehran is now clear." The army said that now Israeli fighter jets can also operate in Tehran.
The IDF says the Israeli Air Force has attacked Iran's air defense system in Tehran, giving Israeli planes more freedom there. Tomer Bar said, "We hit hundreds of targets in a single day, including dozens of anti-aircraft systems. These attacks are of great strategic and national importance to us." He said that for the first time since the war began, Israeli fighter jets were able to fly over Tehran from 1,500 kilometers away and attack defense targets there.