'Tehran will BURN' if Iran...: Israel defence minister sends out warning message

After Iran launched a barrage of missiles on Israel in retaliation to the air strikes by Tel Aviv on its nuclear sites, including Natanz nuke facility, Israel defence minister warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fired more missiles.

"The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they –- especially the residents of Tehran -– will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians," Israel Katz was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

"If (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front –- Tehran will burn," he added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed on Saturday that its air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13 resulted in the deaths of nine leading Iranian nuclear scientists.

Also Read: Israel's motive behind attack on Iran's nuclear facilities achieved? Here's what we know

"During the Israeli air force strikes at the onset of Operation Rising Lion, nine senior scientists and experts, who advanced the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons programme, were eliminated," the military said in a statement, taking the names of those killed.

"Their elimination represents a significant blow to the Iranian regime's ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction," the IDF further said.

The Iranian state media too confirmed three more deaths of nuclear scientists, which takes the overall toll to nine in Israeli attacks.

'Fully prepared for war'

Iran has now said it is ready for "years of continued combat." The Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said its armed forces are fully equipped and prepared for enduring and fighting years of war.

Also Read: Considered impenetrable, Israel's Iron Dome breached. Here’s how the air defense system works

"The evils and crimes of the Zionist regime will undoubtedly shorten their evil and unfortunate life and strengthen the national determination and defensive and offensive power of powerful Iran to collapse this evil regime," the minister said, as reported by the Iranian news agency Mehr.

"We are fully prepared and will support our operational forces in any way we can. We are ready for years of continued combat, and the armed forces are fully equipped," Nasirzadeh added.