Israel weighs response after Iran fires missile barrage

Iran will not show restraint when its red lines are crossed, the top advisor to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander, Iraj Masjedi, said on Monday, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. 

“The Islamic Republic does not seek war but will not show restraint in the face of enemy aggression against its red lines either,” Masjedi said.

Masjedi said while the United States urged Iran to exercise restraint, “at the same time, it supported the Israeli regime’s actions.” 

Iran will not hesitate to give a “stormy and unified response” to any acts of aggression, Iranian Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said during a Monday message commemorating National Army Day in Iran.  

Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel this past weekend, dubbed Operation True Promise, were conducted in cooperation with the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, the Army, and the Defense Ministry, Mousavi said. Iran has recently conducted many joint military drills to enhance its national security, he said. 

“The recent strike showed that (Israel’s) air defense systems and the Iron Dome are by no means a deterrent against Iranian missiles,” Masjedi said.

Some context: Almost all the ballistic missiles and drones Iran launched at Israel in an unprecedented attack late Saturday were intercepted and failed to meet their mark, according to Israeli and American officials, highlighting the formidable, and multi-layered missile defense deployed by the two allied partners.

Most of the more than 300 Iranian munitions, the majority of which are believed to have been launched from inside of Iran’s territory during a five-hour attack, were intercepted before they got to Israel, more than 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) from their launch points.