Media: Iran vows to deal a severe blow to Israel

An informed Iranian diplomat confirmed that the attempts of various countries to prevent Tehran from taking revenge on Israel after the assassination of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, are meaningless, and that the attack itself will be quick and harsh. The diplomat, who is familiar with the internal discussions, said: "There is no point in that, Israel has crossed all the red lines, our response will be quick and harsh." According to him, the attempts of various countries to persuade Tehran not to escalate the situation "were and will be fruitless", given the recent attacks launched by Israel. Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal that they had conveyed warnings to Iran on behalf of Israel and the United States that Israel was prepared to go to war if Hezbollah and Iran responded too aggressively, such as attacking Tel Aviv or central Israel. Iranian officials responded that they understood the risk of escalation, but that the country's authorities were under domestic pres sure to respond. Iran and Hezbollah believe, the newspaper wrote, that the response to the recent Israeli strikes, whatever it may be, 'must be stronger than the bombing in April.' Hezbollah also made clear that its response may not be a single attack, but a series of measures. Source: National Iraqi News Agency