Iran Threatens To Crush Israel If It Responds To Missiles Fired
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran threatened Israel with “crushing attacks” on Tuesday, October 1, if the country retaliated for a missile attack that Tehran had earlier undertaken.
The Fars news agency released an IRGC statement emphasizing that Israel would face overwhelming firepower in response.
“If the Zionist regime reacts to Iranian operations, it will face crushing attacks,” the IRGC declared, justifying the missile strike as being “in accordance with the United Nations Charter.” According to the IRGC, the attack was a response to what it described as an “attack on the sovereignty” of Iran, referring to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Iran launched a flurry of missiles toward Tel Aviv, the center of Israel’s commerce, on Tuesday night. The audacity of the operation was highlighted by the airing of footage of the missile launches by Iranian official television, which was accompanied by patriotic music. The US has already warned Israel with an impending ballistic missile attack from Iran and said that such a move would have “severe” repercussions for Tehran.
This missile attack is Iran’s second direct assault on Israel in the last six months. Iran responded to an Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus back in April with a missile and drone assault, albeit the majority of those projectiles were intercepted by Israel and its allies.
This latest round of escalation comes after an Israeli strike on Friday that claimed the lives of General Abbas Nilforoushan, the senior commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, and longtime Iranian friend Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. Iran pledged that Nilforoushan’s death “would not go unanswered” following these murders.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly last month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian charged Israel with inciting hostilities and asserted that Iran had shown patience after Haniyeh’s death, despite pressure from allies in the area. Pezeshkian claimed that American assurances of a truce were “false,” and he added that continuing to be lenient would simply encourage Israeli behavior.
The Iranian leadership, which does not recognize Israel, has long backed Palestinian organizations, particularly Hamas. Tehran praised Hamas’ October 7 strike on Israel, which sparked the ongoing Gaza crisis, but denied direct involvement.
Regional tensions continue to rise as Iran-aligned forces in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen join the fight, heightening fears of a larger regional confrontation.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
