Iran’s supreme leader orders reprisal attack on Israel
- 1 November, 10:23
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered his military officials to prepare a reprisal attack against Israel’s military sites, New York Times reported on Thursday, citing unnamed Iranian officials. According to the report, the Islamic Republic’s response would come after the US presidential election on November 5, although other media outlets claimed Iran’s response could come ahead of the vote.
Tehran’s anticipated attack will be in response to Israel’s unprecedented October 26 strikes targeting Iran’s military sites. Khamenei has reportedly told his associates that the scope of Israel’s October 26 strikes were “too large to ignore.” According to the report, Iran’s military commanders were readying a list of dozens of targets inside Israel after Khamenei ordered plans drawn up by his Supreme National Security Council on Monday.
The Jewish state has been preparing for Tehran’s attack following Israel’s October 26 retaliatory attack targeting military facilities. The Israeli strikes destroyed several military bases, including ballistic missile manufacturing facilities as well as multiple radar systems required to guide Iran’s ballistic missiles. Initially, Tehran downplayed the attack, while also acknowledging that four of its soldiers were killed during the Israeli strikes. Khamenei later said that the attack should “neither be exaggerated nor downplayed,” while the Foreign Minister Aragchi pledged retaliation “sooner or later”.
