Israeli Defense Minister warns Tehran will "pay the price"
Shafaq News/ On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that residents of Tehran would “soon pay the price,” accusing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of turning the Iranian capital into “another Beirut” and making its population “hostages.”
During a briefing with local media, Katz referred to Khamenei as an “arrogant dictator” who had turned into a “cowardly murderer,” accusing Iran of deliberately targeting Israeli civilian areas in an attempt to pressure the military into halting its campaign.
“Iran’s attack on civilian sites in Israel aims to dissuade the Israeli army from pushing forward with its mission,” Katz stated, asserting that recent Israeli strikes inside Iranian territory had diminished what he described as existential threats. He added that “the operation is proceeding according to plan — and even beyond.”
Tensions escalated sharply overnight. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that an airstrike had hit a compound affiliated with the Ministry of Defence in Tehran. Additional sites reportedly included facilities linked to the Armed Forces Logistics Support Command and the Defence Research and Innovation Organization.
Iran responded with a series of missile strikes that struck several locations across Israel. Among the impacted sites was the Haifa oil refinery, which processes around 10 million tons of crude oil annually and is a key supplier for energy exports to parts of Europe.
Further missile impacts were recorded in central Israel. In Petah Tikva, local reports indicated that several civilian shelters were destroyed, while in the city of Bat Yam, multiple civilians were reportedly killed.
