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Iran declares its ‘duty to defend itself’ against Israeli strikes but doesn’t threaten response

IDF spokesperson: ‘If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we would be obligated to respond.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Following Israel’s retaliatory attack on Saturday morning on military sites, Iran declared it had a “duty to defend itself,” although Tehran stopped short of threatening a response.

In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, “Iran has the right and the duty to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression.”

“If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we would be obligated to respond,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Saturday morning following the operation.

Israel struck within Iran in retaliation for 180 missiles the Islamic Republic launched into Israel in early October.

Although largely downplaying Israel’s strike, Iranian media reported that four soldiers were killed.

Two Iranian officials, one a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) reported that Israel struck the S-300 air defense of Imam Khomeini International Airport that provides defense for areas in Tehran.

In addition, at least three IRGC missile bases were hit, and Israeli drones targeted the secretive Parchin military base on the outskirts of Tehran, with one drone hitting the base and the others intercepted.

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Israel has insisted that nuclear activities are being carried out at Parchin, and the UN’s IAEA nuclear watchdog in 2016 reportedly found evidence confirming this suspicion.

Iranian media minimized the attacks, showing vegetable markets open and people watching the strikes from rooftops.

According to some analysts, Iran is seeking to persuade its public that the Israeli strike was minimal to give the government an excuse to avoid retaliating and proking further escalation.

Israel’s attack within Iran was unprecedented, given that it was 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, had a larger scale and duration than other operations, and that Israel claimed direct responsibility for the strikes.

However, consistent with the recommendation from the U.S., Israel refrained from hitting nuclear or oil facilities.

According to a source quoted by the Washington Post, the Israeli operation was designed to minimize casualties and allow Tehran to deny or minimize the severity of the strike to evade pressure to retaliate.