A senior Iranian official said the country’s military shouldn’t let public demands dictate its actions against Israel, suggesting that Tehran is trying to balance domestic pressures against US warnings as it decides how to retaliate against an attack in Syria in which it says Israel killed one of its top generals.
Iran has vowed to respond in kind to what it says was an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, which killed seven Revolutionary Guard members, including the general. The US has said it would throw its full support behind Israel if Iran attacks it.
“Some ask why the Islamic Republic does not take revenge,” said Mojtaba Zonnour, a conservative cleric and head of the Iranian parliament’s national-security and foreign-policy committee, whose statements often reflect the views of the security establishment.
Any decision to take action against Israel “should be based on national interests and security, not public demands,'' Zonnour said, adding that a response would come eventually. “Maybe sooner, maybe later, but it will happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Iranian navy early on Saturday seized an Israeli-linked containership in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Vanguard Tech, a maritime security information provider.
The vessel, the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, was bound for India when it was boarded by Iranian forces in the early hours of Saturday, Vanguard Tech said. The ship is connected to a London shipping company controlled by an Israeli family. The incident marked the first time Iran has seized a large ship since January.
Warning that an Iranian attack could be imminent, the US on Friday rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct Iranian attack on Israel that could spark a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Pressure has been building on the Iranian leadership to respond to the Syria strike, both from hard-liners bent on avenging one of the most serious attacks on Iranian personnel in recent years, and from parts of the public who want the military to stand up to Israel.
In recent days, some Iranians have begun mocking the military and the leadership for not taking action despite numerous threats, including by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to avenge the strike in Damascus.
“Israel, they don’t have the balls to seek revenge,” read a fresh piece of graffiti on a wall in Tehran, referring to the government. “Israel, hit them harder. Israel, they have wet their pants,” read another.
Israel’s military remained on high alert on Saturday for a major attack by Iran or one the regional militias it arms and funds, such as the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel since October.
Israel’s military said it attacked a large Hezbollah military complex in Lebanon on Saturday morning, following what the military said was more than 40 projectiles launched into Israel on Friday night. The Israeli military also said it destroyed rockets in the Gaza Strip that it said were poised to launch at central Israel. Iran supports Hamas and other Palestinian militants in the Strip.
Iran’s arsenal of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles have long concerned Israel and the West. Israel’s multi-layer aerial-defense system has shown itself capable of defending the country against individual or small volleys of incoming drones and missiles. But officials and analysts say it could potentially be overwhelmed by a sufficiently large swarm of drones or a massive missile barrage.
“If they send many, they can saturate the system,” said Yehoshua Kalisky, a weapons-systems researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies.
A large-scale Iranian missile attack on Israel would almost certainly trigger a heavy Israeli response, taking the Middle East to the brink of a bigger war.
Israel’s defence minister said earlier this week that Israel would mount a powerful response to any attack on its soil.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Friday that the military has approved plans for dealing with a range of scenarios for a potential Iranian attack.
U.S Army General Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, remained in Israel on Saturday after conducting joint assessments with the head of the Israeli military and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday.
An Israeli defence official said Saturday that the country was planning for all possible Iranian responses, including an attack on Israeli soil. “We’re preparing for all options,” the official said.
-Sune Engel Rasmussen, Carrie Keller-Lynn, Aresu Eqbali and Benoit Faucon
The Wall Street Journal
