Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened Israel after it launched violent attacks on his country on Friday, saying it should expect "severe punishment."
Khamenei said, "Israel has written a bitter fate for itself with this attack, and it will certainly meet it."
"The strong hand of our armed forces will not let Israel escape punishment," the Supreme Leader said in a statement. He considered the Israeli attack to have revealed Israel's "vile nature," stressing that many leaders and scholars were killed in the Israeli attack. Iranian military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi told state television that Israel and the United States "will pay a heavy price" after Israel launched an attack on Iran early Friday morning.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Shekarchi stated that "the Zionist enemy, with the support of America, carried out its aggression and targeted residential areas."
Shekarchi stressed that "the Iranian armed forces' response will be firm and harsh, and there is no doubt that the response is coming."
An Iranian security source told Reuters that his country is planning a "painful response" to the attack launched by Israel.
The source said: "The response to the Israeli attack will be painful and decisive."
Asked whether such a response was imminent, he said the details were "being discussed at the highest levels."
Israel attacked several Iranian cities early Friday, with explosions heard across Tehran. Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites, nuclear scientists, and military and Revolutionary Guard commanders.
The attack comes as tensions have reached new levels over Tehran's nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had launched a military operation aimed at "defeating the Iranian threat to Israel's existence."
شارك برأيك
Khamenei vows 'harsh response' to Israeli strikes on Iran