Raisi instead focused on Iran’s missile launch against Israel on Saturday
Iran’s leaders are downplaying recent Israeli attacks on their country, even though they have previously promised all-out war for even a small invasion.
In a speech on Friday, President Ibrahim Raisi did not address the Israeli missile attack on Isfahan earlier in the day. Instead, he talked about why Iran had launched its offensive attacks.
Read More: What we know About Israel’s Attacks on Iran
“Operation True Promise has brought power, unity, and unity to our country,” Raisi said in his speech, as reported by Iran International English. “Today, all political groups and factions agree that this response is necessary and a great honor for our country.”
Operation True Promise refers to last week’s Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel. Iran fired several missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday in retaliation for an apparent attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1, which resulted in the death of 12 people, including two Iranian generals. It marked a direct Iranian military attack on Israel.
With the help of the U.S., the U.K., neighboring Jordan, and other countries, Israel has been able to intercept almost every missile and drone Iran has fired. Thanks to the Iron Dome and David Sling defense systems, Israel proudly claims a 99% success rate.
In response to the Iranian launch, Raisi said the attack was limited. However, he warned that if Iran provokes a major attack, “nothing will be left of the Zionist regime,” as reported by the official IRNA news agency.
Iran’s supreme leader’s decision not to address Israel’s retaliatory strike shows a sharp gap between this previous rhetoric and the country’s stance going forward.
Israel and Iran have been waging a decades-long shadow war for the past few months, with Iran supporting Hamas, which carried out the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history on October 7.