New Delhi

Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz on Wednesday (April 10) threatened that if Iran launches attacks from its own soil then Israel will strike back inside Iran. This statement came amid increasingly aggressive rhetoric between the two countries.

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Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Israel should be punished and it shall be for allegedly attacking an Iranian consular building in Syria’s Damascus, which killed two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers.

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Katz posted in Hebrew on his social media account on X, “If Iran attacks from its territory; Israel will react and attack in Iran.”

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He then posted the same warning in a Persian-language post and tagged Khamenei’s official X account.

Iran, claiming its aim to eradicate the Jewish state, has developed rockets capable of reaching any part of Israel and has proudly asserted its capacity to launch attacks.

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In a significant escalation of Israel’s conflict with regional foes, suspected Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on a building in the Syrian capital on April 1. Iran stated that the strike killed seven IRGC military advisers at a consulate site, including Iran’s top commander in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

Khamenei condemned the strike, which demolished a five-story building near the Iranian embassy in Syria, stating that it violated international agreements safeguarding diplomatic premises.

“The consulate and embassy offices in any country belong to that country. Attacking a consulate is tantamount to an attack on our territory,” he declared in a speech marking the conclusion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “The malicious regime made an error and must face consequences, which it shall,” he added.

However, State TV broadcast Khamenei’s remarks live, but he did not elaborate on how or when Iran would retaliate.

Earlier on Tuesday (April 9), unnamed US intelligence sources informed, that Iran is unlikely to attack Israel directly out of fear of American and Israeli retaliation and will urge its various proxies in the region to launch attacks on its behalf in the coming days.

Also read: Israel kills senior Hezbollah commander in strike on southern Lebanon

Released on Monday night, the report raised doubts regarding the prior assessments made by both Washington and Jerusalem, suggesting that an attack by Iran was inevitable.

Notably, Israel has remained on high alert recently following threats of retaliation from Iranian officials after the Damascus airstrike that resulted in the death of IRGC's top commander in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, along with six other members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and at least one member of the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah.

(With inputs from agencies)