Iran’s president has vowed to completely destroy Israel, should it proceed with even the "tiniest invasion" of its country.
President Ebrahim Raisi spoke Wednesday at an annual army parade warning Israel of a "massive and harsh" response, as the country braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran’s missile and drone attack over the weekend.
Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday in response to an apparent strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals. Iran blames Israel for the attack, although Israel has not claimed any involvement.
Raisi said Saturday’s attack was a limited one, and that if Iran was provoked to carry out a bigger attack, "nothing would remain from the Zionist regime," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Raisi’s remarks came during a military parade that was relocated to a barracks north of the capital, Tehran, from its usual venue on a highway in the city’s southern outskirts. Iranian authorities gave no explanation for the relocation.
Uniquely, state TV did not broadcast it live, as it had in previous years.
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On Saturday, Israel, with help from the U.S., the United Kingdom, neighboring Jordan and other nations, successfully intercepted nearly every missile and drone that Iran launched. Israel boasted of a 99% success rate, through the use of its Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems.
Israel has vowed to respond, however, without providing additional details on how or when.
The Jewish country’s military council met on Tuesday to decide on future action while its allies have urged all sides to avoid further escalation.
Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war for decades, with the war coming to a head over the past few months as Iran has supported Hamas, which carried out the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history on Oct. 7.
Saturday’s attack was the first direct Iranian military attack on Israel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
