Revolutionary Guard says wait for Iran’s retaliation against Israel ‘could be long’
There could be a long wait for Iranian retaliation against Israel, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Alimohammad Naini said on Tuesday.
The Middle East has been bracing for Iran’s avowed retaliation over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind the killing.
“Time is in our favor and the waiting period for this response could be long,” Naini said, referring to potential retaliation against Israel.
He said “the enemy” should wait for a calculated and accurate response.
Iranian leaders were weighing the circumstances and the Islamic Republic’s response might not be a repeat of previous operations, he added, according to Iranian state media.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the operation that killed Haniyeh hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
The United States has asked allies that have ties with Iran to persuade it to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region to push for progress toward a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Israel-Hamas war.
Naini said that Tehran supported any move that led to an end to the war in Gaza and helped its people, but added: “We do not consider the US actions sincere. We consider the US to be a party to the [Gaza] war.”
US President Joe Biden said last week that the anticipated attack may be staved off if Israel and Hamas manage to reach a long-sought ceasefire deal in Gaza.
However, Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah may have already attempted an attack.
Security forces are investigating the possibility that Tehran and the terror group are linked to Sunday’s attempted suicide bombing by a Palestinian man in Tel Aviv, Hebrew media outlets reported Monday.
Hamas earlier on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack, which it had directed together with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, though the attacker was not known to be affiliated with either.
However, police and the Shin Bet security service believe the attacker, a resident of Nablus in the West Bank, may have gotten directions from Iran or Hezbollah, given the sophistication of his ultimately faulty explosive, according to Channel 12 news and the Kan public broadcaster.
According to Channel 12, the terrorist walked about a kilometer (0.6 miles) in south Tel Aviv before the 8-kilogram (17-pound) explosive in his backpack went off in an uncrowded area, killing him and injuring another person.
Source » timesofisrael.com
