Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General affirmed that the Iranian retaliation on the latest Israeli attack is “inevitable”.
Fadawi announced to Al-Mayadeen that Iran could “target everything the Zionists possess in a single operation," pointing out that Hezbollah had intensified its attacks on Israeli positions.
Iranian Defense Minister, Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh declared yesterday that the recent Israeli strikes on Iranian sites in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam, the attacks had caused no lasting disruptions to Iran's defense production and were swiftly repaired. However, he stressed that any Israeli aggression, however minor, would be met with a response.
Israeli intelligence indicated that Iran may be planning to launch an attack on Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, potentially before the U.S. presidential election on November 5, according to anonymous Israeli sources, reported Axios. The anticipated assault is expected to involve a significant number of drones and ballistic missiles launched from Iraq. The report suggests that Tehran may utilize pro-Iranian groups in Iraq to execute the attack to evade any further Israeli strikes on strategic targets within Iran.
“Iran is planning to carry out a definitive and painful response to Israeli strikes before the US election,” a high-ranking source told CNN yesterday.
On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, indicated that Iran's “strength must be demonstrated to Israel, adding that the means to do so should be determined by officials and that actions must serve the interests of the people and the country,” Iranian News Agency reported.
According to the US Department of Defense statement, Austin said earlier this week that “Iran should not respond to Israel's strikes but should instead consider this the end of the two-nation exchange.”
On the other side, an Israeli source disclosed that airstrikes carried out by the military on ground-to-ground missile production facilities in Iran have significantly impaired Tehran's ability to manufacture new missiles. The source estimated that it could take Iran more than a year to restore its missile capabilities following the strikes.
The New York Times reported that the attacks targeted a "critical component" in missile manufacturing, a multi-fuel mixer used in the production of "Khaybar" and "Qassam" ballistic missiles. Valued at approximately $2 million, the repair of the facility could take up to two years, posing a significant setback to Iran's missile production.
The fuel mixer is a vital component for producing solid fuel, which enhances the accuracy and maneuverability of missiles, making them more effective and harder to intercept.
These reactions arose in the context of the Israeli attack on Saturday conducted by “dozens of Israeli aircraft in three waves, against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran,” according to the Israeli Army.
The latest Israeli airstrikes follow Iran’s October 1 missile launch, which involved around 200 ballistic missiles aimed at Israel, in retaliation for the assassinations of senior figures in Tehran and Beirut. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general.
The recent exchanges of fire between the two sides have raised concerns about the potential for a full-scale regional war that could pit Israel and the United States against Iran and its armed proxies in the region.