Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refrained from talking about retaliation while addressing Israel’s recent attack on Iranian targets, saying that the incident “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.”
His remarks come as tensions simmer between the two nations following Saturday’s airstrikes by Israel in response to Iran’s missile barrage earlier this month.
“The evil actions of the Israeli regime two nights ago should neither be exaggerated nor downplayed,” Khamenei said.
“The miscalculations of the Israeli regime must be disrupted. It is essential to make them understand the strength, will, and initiative of the Iranian nation and its youth,” he added.
While refraining from a direct call to retaliate, Khamenei highlighted Iran’s capability to assert its influence.
Iran’s military and political figures have followed this strategic caution, pointing to regional cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon as priorities over immediate retaliation. State media reported that the airstrikes left four Iranian soldiers dead.
On Saturday, Israeli warplanes launched targeted strikes against military sites in Iran, responding to a ballistic missile attack by Iran earlier this month. Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, clarified that the strikes avoided nuclear and oil infrastructure, focusing instead on “precise strikes on military targets.”
The initial Iranian missile strike was reportedly a retaliatory action against recent Israeli operations against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The United States, though informed of the Israeli strikes beforehand, has publicly distanced itself from involvement.
With Iran’s influence extending to militant allies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the attack has raised fears over the possibility of a region-wide conflict, escalating into an all-out war involving Israel, the US, and Iran-backed forces.