Netanyahu warns Iranian leaders against attacking, says the response will be ‘far more powerful’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran in a recent speech that Israel would not respond in the same manner if attacked again. 

"We are prepared for any scenario. I can tell you only one thing, and I will say this to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on it being quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said during a speech in the southern city of Dimona. “Do not count on a repeat. Because it will not be a repeat, and that was already powerful enough. This will be a different event, far more powerful.” 

“The days when someone can attack us and we do not strike them back twofold are over,” Netanyahu continued. “We did this to the Axis of Evil in Iran, and we will continue to do so to anyone who harms us. That is what we do.” 

Israel has not struck Iran since early June, after the Islamic Republic launched a barrage of around 22-24 ballistic missiles towards Israel, with its Yemen proxy Ansar Allah (the Houthi rebels) also launching a couple. 

Israel responded by striking air defense systems in the country, along with the Petrochemical Complex in Mahshahr, used for producing components for Iran’s ballistic missile program. 

Those strikes ended after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, calling on both sides to honor the April ceasefire. 

Last week, following a round of U.S. military strikes in Iran, which came in retaliation for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacks on commercial shipping vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian leaders threatened to strike Israel, in addition to retaliating against U.S. military sites in the region. 

“As we have already announced, any attacks on infrastructure will be responded to, and the criminal Zionist regime responsible for these atrocities will not escape the response of our warriors,” Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a statement carried on state TV. 

So far, Iran has not acted on that threat. Israeli security chiefs have repeatedly said the country is ready to respond if attacked. 

The U.S. carried out an additional round of strikes in Iran Tuesday night, its fourth consecutive day of strikes on Iranian military targets. While the IRGC responded with strikes against U.S. facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, there were no attacks directed at Israeli territory. 

Several hours after the U.S. announced it had completed its strikes, a series of explosions were reported in Bushehr, a city on the Persian Gulf. Iranian officials blamed the United States for the attack; however, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) did not claim responsibility for the strikes, leading some analysts to believe they may have been carried out by the United Arab Emirates or another Gulf state. 

There have been several reports of unmarked fighter jets striking sites in Iran around the time of U.S. combat operations, but using aircraft which the U.S. military does not have. 

Following the announcement of the ceasefire in April, it was revealed that the UAE had conducted several strikes in Iran, after coming under intense fire from Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. 

Later on Wednesday, CENTCOM said it carried out additional strikes targeting coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island. 

“The strikes further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said. 

Meanwhile, Hebrew media continued to report that Prime Minister Netanyahu is planning a trip to the U.S. next week, hoping to speak with President Trump. Recent reports say that such a meeting may take place on the sidelines of the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, which both Trump and Netanyahu are slated to attend.