Washington, Oct 26 (Sputnik).- Iran should not make a mistake by taking a retaliatory measure in response to the recent Israeli attack, said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched precision strikes against military targets in Iran in response to Iranian bombings earlier this October.
“Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s attacks, which should mark the end of these mutual attacks,” the Pentagon chief wrote on the social network X.
He stressed that he held talks with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to address the recent Israeli attack against “military facilities in Iran.” The American minister reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
“I also highlighted the opportunities that exist to use diplomacy to reduce tensions in the region, including with the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and an agreement that allows civilians on both sides of the border between Israel and Lebanon return safely to their homes,” Austin said.
In the early hours of this Sunday, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council and emphasized Tehran’s right to “a legitimate response” in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
The IDF specified that the main target of the attack was missile production facilities that Iran fired at Israeli territory during the year.
Iran’s air defense forces reported that Israel attacked several military centers in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, causing limited damage.
Israel also attacked southern and central Syria with missiles, some of which were shot down by the Arab country’s air defenses.
On October 1, Iran launched dozens of missiles into Israeli territory, in what Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian called a legitimate response “in the interest of the peace and security of Iran and the region.” The only fatality reported by some Medes is a Palestinian in West Bank territory.
The October 1 attack followed Israeli air and ground offensives against Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite militia in Lebanon in which Tehran sees one of the key pieces of its “axis of resistance” against the Jewish state in the Middle East. (Sputnik)
