The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has ordered his National Security Council to prepare an attack on Israel in response to recent strikes against the country's energy infrastructure and air defense systems. According to reports from The New York Times, this instruction was given last Monday, arguing that the Israeli attacks had an extent and caused casualties too significant to be ignored.
Several sources within the Iranian government stated that not responding to these offensives would be to accept defeat, so the supreme leader deemed it necessary to take retaliatory action. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned that Iran would use all means at its disposal to respond decisively, but also pointed out that messages are currently being exchanged in the region due to rising tensions.
The Israeli attack, which resulted in the deaths of at least five people, including soldiers and civilians, was a response to a prior bombardment from Iran with about 180 missiles on October 1. This bombardment was in turn a retaliation for the assassinations of leaders of Lebanese and Palestinian Shia groups in Beirut and Tehran in previous months.
Despite these events, Iranian authorities have maintained a degree of caution in their response. The Iranian Armed Forces reported that the damage suffered in the Israeli attack was limited to some radar systems. The supreme leader of Iran acknowledged the importance of the attack, but his tone was more moderate than on previous occasions.
