Iran to give “decisive” response to Israel’s Saturday strike: spokesman

TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei vowed on Monday that his country would give a “decisive” response to Israel’s recent strike, using “all available tools.”
Baghaei made the remarks at a weekly press conference in response to a question about whether Iran had received any message from Western states calling on it not to retaliate against Israel’s Saturday attack on its soil.
“It is clear to everyone that Iran will not relinquish its right to respond to the Israeli aggression,” Baghaei said.
“We will use all available tools for a decisive response to the Israeli regime, and the nature of our response will depend on the type of (Israeli) attack that occurred,” he added.
Commenting on the Saturday remarks by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who warned Iran not to respond to Israel’s attack, Baghaei said the U.S. should stop its arms, intelligence, and political support for Israel instead of calling on other countries to exercise self-restraint.
Early Saturday, dozens of Israeli jets carried out three waves of strikes that targeted 20 military sites in Iran. The focus was on missile and drone manufacturing facilities and critical air defense systems. The Israeli military said the operation was carried out in response to the attacks from Iran in recent months.
Iran’s air defense headquarters claimed the Israeli attack resulted in “limited damage.” Iran’s army and media reports confirmed that the strike has led to five fatalities, including four soldiers and one civilian. ■