Iran has brushed aside warnings from the U.S. and other western nations about the consequences for attacking Israel, signaling its determination to retaliate against Israel for the recent killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
The U.S. and multiple European nations cautioned Iran on Monday against its plan to attack Israel, as western officials prepare for a barrage of Iranian strikes to take place at some point this week. Iran responded by accusing the West of supporting Israel and questioning the logic of western calls for restraint.
“Such a request lacks political logic, flies in the face of the principles and rules of international law, and constitutes public and practical support for Israel,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement reported by Iranian state media.
Newly inaugurated Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian told British prime minster Keir Starmer that Iran believes it has the legal right to respond to a perceived aggressor with punishment during a phone call where Starmer urged Iran to remain calm.
At the same time, three Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran will only back down if a cease-fire agreement is reached to pause the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Iran has promised a harsh response to the deaths of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and a Hezbollah commander who was killed in retaliation for a strike that killed 12 children in Israel-controlled Golan Heights.
Haniyeh was killed recently by a bomb that had been discreetly planted two months earlier inside the guesthouse he was staying in for Pezeshkian’s inauguration in Iran, the New York Times reported.
Israel is treating the threats from Iran with concern, and continuing to monitor Hezbollah’s actions.
“We take the declarations and statements of our enemies seriously. Therefore, we are prepared at peak readiness in offense and defense, and we will act according to the directives of the government” said Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
U.S. officials are prepared for Iran to attack this week, but do not know the specifics of what the Iranian blitz will look like, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.
“With respect to potential timing here, it could be this week,” Kirby said. “We’re continuing to watch it very, very closely, and it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time, if there is an attack by Iran and/or its proxies, what that could look like.”
Last week, the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to continue cease-fire negotiations and attend a summit scheduled for Thursday. The parties have agreed to a framework for a cease-fire but still have yet to nail down the specifics of implementation.
Hamas declined to send a delegation to the cease-fire talks. The Iran-backed terrorist group continues to hold dozens of living hostages captured during the civilian massacre on October 7. A Hamas terrorist recently killed one hostage and wounded two more, the group said on Telegram Monday. Israel has yet to verify those claims.
Some of the living hostages in Hamas captivity would be released during the first phase of the cease-fire proposal, a major condition for Israel to stop its campaign to eradicate Hamas.
In April, Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel after a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian outpost in Syria killed multiple Iranian commanders. Israel successfully defended itself from the unprecedented Iranian escalation with help from the U.S. and other allies.