Iran Threatens Retaliation Against US and Israel

Iran’s Defense Minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, has issued a warning, stating that Iran will respond if the United States or Israel attack the country.

“If this war is launched by the US or the Zionist regime (Israel), Iran will target their interests, bases, and troops,” he said.

The US maintains at least 19 military facilities across the Middle East, all of which could be targeted in the event of a conflict with Iran, posing a risk to tens of thousands of US servicemen.

This warning comes in the wake of a Houthi ballistic missile successfully breaching Israel’s Iron Dome defense system on Sunday, landing near Ben-Gurion Airport.

The Houthis, who are allied with Iran, have declared that Israel’s main airport is now “no longer safe for air travel” and are also targeting vessels in the Red Sea.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened action against the Yemen-based Houthis and condemned Iran’s involvement.

“Attacks from Iran come from Iran. Israel will respond to Houthi’s attacks on our major airports and act against their Iranian masters at locations of our choosing,” he stated.

However, Nasirzadeh contended that the Houthis operate independently, pursuing their own agendas.

Netanyahu also referenced a post made by former President Donald Trump earlier in March, who criticized Iran for its alleged orchestration of these Houthis attacks.

“Iran plays the ‘innocent victim’ of a rogue terrorist who has lost control, but they still dictate all the moves,” Trump expressed in his post.

“From now on, all shots fired by the Houthis will be considered shots from Iran’s weapons and leadership; Iran will bear the consequences,” he added.

In a related note, it seems that Netanyahu has voiced concerns regarding Trump’s Middle East policies. Reports suggest he is anxious about communicating with Trump and about concessions made by the Trump administration.

An Israeli newspaper, Israeli Heyom, also indicated Netanyahu’s frustration over the dismissal of US national security adviser Mike Waltz, reportedly due to his hardline stance towards Iran.

“The US hadn’t tried a diplomatic solution, so they wanted to steer US policies in a direction that Trump wasn’t comfortable with,” a source mentioned, according to Washington Post.