Published: 10:36, October 23, 2024 | Updated: 13:04, October 23, 2024
Senior commander: Israel unlikely to make major action against Iran
By Xinhua
People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Oct 19, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN/KUWAIT CITY - A senior Iranian commander said Tuesday that Israel would not take a "major and significant" military action against Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Mohammad-Ali Jafari, Commander of the Baghiyatallah Cultural and Social Headquarters, said Israel would probably carry out a "desperate, limited and small-scale" attack to "say that it has taken an action or responded" to Iran's Oct 1 missile operation.

Israel would not be able to carry out an operation on a par with Tehran's attack, he said.

Jafari noted that Iran's response would highly depend on the intensity of Israel's attack.

"If the enemy takes a major and significant action, it will receive a response several times greater in intensity," said Jafari, former commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On Oct 1, Iran fired approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets. Tehran described the strikes as retaliation for the assassinations of several leaders of the regional resistance groups and Israel's military actions against Lebanese and Palestinian armed groups.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran had made a "grave mistake" and vowed retaliation.

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A man carries a package at the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Oct 19, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Also on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that neighboring countries have assured Iran they will not allow the use of their territories in any potential attacks against the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuwait, Araghchi said, "We have received reassurances from our neighboring countries that they will not permit the use of their territories or airspace for any possible attack on Iran."

Araghchi's visit comes amid growing concerns about possible military escalation in the region between Iran and Israel. The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that Iran is seeking a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza and southern Lebanon, and called for calm in the region.

However, he also warned that any potential Israeli attack on Iran's oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities would be met with "a similar response."

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Regarding the possibility of a full-scale war in the region, Araghchi said, "There is that possibility ... the war could expand to encompass the entire region if energy installations in Iran are struck," adding that "the countries of the region have the capability to prevent this full-scale war from happening."

Araghchi stressed that any attack on nuclear facilities violates international laws and conventions.

He said that Iran is also "closely monitoring all movements in US bases in the region, both by sea and air."

Regarding the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, Araghchi said, "The decision to cease fire rests with the Lebanese and Palestinians themselves, and we are here only to offer support and backing."

Araghchi's visit to Kuwait is part of ongoing consultations with regional countries amid what he described as "Israeli military escalation in Gaza and Lebanon." Kuwait is the 11th stop of Araghchi's regional tour focusing on preventing further escalation in the Middle East.