Tensions in the Middle East continue to rise as Iran escalates threats against Israel and promises a “crushing response” to Israel. strikes on Iranian territory last month.

In the early hours of October 26, Israel launched two waves of airstrikes across Iran, hitting military targets in the cities of Karaj, Mashhad and Tehran.

The Israeli military said its forces had attacked missile and air defense manufacturing sites. Iran’s Air Defense Force claimed it had “successfully” repelled the attack and said some sites had experienced limited damage. According to the Iranian military, four Iranian soldiers were killed in the attack.

The four-hour Israeli attack, the most sustained against Iran to date, came in retaliation for an October 1 Iranian attack, in which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and of IRGC deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan on September 27 in an airstrike in Beirut.

Recent statements and threats from several Iranian leaders and military commanders have raised questions about the nature and timing of the Iranian response, as the region braces for more violence.

Increasing rhetoric

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly vowed to retaliate for the Israeli attack. More recently, on Saturday, Khamenei warned Israel and its ally the USA of an “overwhelming response.”

“The enemies, whether it is the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and the resistance front,” Khamenei said in a video broadcast by state media. .

Echoing similar threats, IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said Israel and the United States will receive a “heartbreaking response” from Tehran and its allied resistance groups for any action taken against Iran.

“On this path, the resistance front and Islamic Iran will be equipped with everything necessary to confront and triumphantly defeat the enemy. . . without fear of the threats and saber rattling of the thugs who rule Washington and Tel Aviv,” Salami said in a speech Sunday at a rally commemorating the 45th anniversary of the 1979 attack on the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

Speaking at the same ceremony, IRGC Deputy Commander Brig. General Ali Fadavi also stated that Iran will launch another attack against Israel in response to its latest “aggression.” He said no details could be revealed, but stressed that “it will certainly be carried out.”

The IRGC launched its first direct attack on Israel in April, launching hundreds of drones in retaliation for an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed at least seven people, including two IRGC commanders.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the intensity of the response to the October attack depends on Israel’s willingness to stop its military actions in the region.

“Iran will in no way leave any violation of its territory and security unanswered,” he said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “They are well aware that any mistake against the Islamic Republic of Iran will be met with an overwhelming response.”

However, he added: “If they reconsider their actions, agree to a ceasefire and stop the killing of innocent and oppressed people in the region, that may influence the nature and intensity of our response.”

Preparations on the ground

As Iranian leaders send mixed messages and remain elusive about the nature of their planned retaliation, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday that Tehran had briefed Arab diplomats about its plan to launch a “complex response” that would involve warheads. more powerful weapons and other weapons than it has previously used against Israel.

The US-based newspaper quoted Iranian and Arab officials briefed on the plan as saying that the Iranian military will join the IRGC in the next response because its forces suffered casualties in the October attack.

The Iranian source added that Iraqi territory could be used for part of the operation, saying the attack will target Israeli military sites “much more aggressively than last time.”

Regarding the timing of the operation, the same source said that the response would be delivered after the US elections on Tuesday, November 5, to avoid possible influence on the results, but before the inauguration of the new US president in January. .

The American news site Axios reported on Thursday that Iran could use Iraqi territory to launch the attack on Israel. Two Israeli sources said they had received information about large numbers of drones and ballistic missiles possibly being fired from Iraq to prevent another retaliatory attack on its own territory.

As for Iran’s timing, Israeli sources said the operation would likely take place before the US presidential election. Similarly, a senior Iranian source told CNN on Wednesday that the Israeli attack will receive a “definitive and painful” response, possibly before the US elections.

According to three other Iranian officials familiar with the plans who spoke to the New York Times on Thursday, Khamenei already ordered the Supreme National Security Council to prepare the response and that military commanders were drafting a target list for dozens of military sites in Israel. . Those officials stated that Iran would likely launch the attack after the American elections.

Although the timing is still unclear, it appears that Iran is preparing for a retaliatory attack.

Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Foreign Relations Council, told al-Mayadeen TV on Friday that Iran could increase the range of its missiles if it “faces an existential threat.”

Another report, on the Israeli Channel 13 website, claimed Friday that Israeli and American intelligence are closely monitoring Iranian movements to identify the movement of surface-to-surface missile systems within the country.