Iran may respond to major Israeli attack with ‘1,000 missiles’

Iran could hit Israel with up to 1,000 ballistic missiles if a planned Israeli revenge attack on the Islamic Republic is resulting in high civilian casualties and widespread destruction, according to reports.

Four officials, including two from Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said The New York Times that Israel can expect massive retaliation from Tehran if its long-awaited attacks on the country provoke heavy deterioration of the country’s vital energy infrastructure.

It follows Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks on Israel on October 1, which caused minimal damage to military sites and no civilian deaths, and followed the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and other Tehran-linked figures in the region, raising tensions between the two countries.

In addition to a barrage of 1,000 missiles, Iran could also target Gulf shipping and escalate attacks Tehran’s regional proxy forceand possibly target regional energy facilities, which could send oil prices skyrocketing.

If Israel limits its attacks to military installations with minimal damage, then Iran may not respond at all, the sources added.

Officials in Tehran issued public statements to Israel, warning it not to overstep the mark, after Tel Aviv vowed to respond to Iran’s October 1 drone and missile attack – the largest since the start of the Gaza-Lebanon war in October 2023.

He has also made intense diplomatic moves to urge the US to clamp down on its ally Israel amid threats to target Tehran’s energy infrastructure, which could have devastating consequences for the oil exporter.

“In the event of an Israeli attack, the form of our response will be proportionate and calculated,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said this week. BRICS summit in Russia this week.

The sources said The New York Times that the Iranian military is preparing for unrest within its borders with possible insurgencies among minority groups or attacks by the Islamic State group.

Israel is reportedly adamant that there will be a military response to the October 1 strikes, as was then Tehran launched missile strikes on Israel on April 13, following the killing of a senior IRGC general at an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus two weeks earlier.

The question is how broad the military action will be and what role Washington might play with the US deployment THAAD anti-missile batteries to Israelindicating that the response could be major.

Israel is said to have delayed its response after details of a planned attack on Iran were leaked from the US, with the security breach possibly indicating some concerns in Washington about the response on the table.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed this week that an attack from Israel is coming.

“In my conversation with them I pointed out – after we attack Iran, everyone will understand your strength, the process of preparation and training – any enemy who tries to harm the state of Israel will pay a heavy price,” he wrote on X after he spoke. with American officials.

Israel launched a devastating war in Gaza following the October 7 attacks and escalated its military actions in Lebanon this month, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.