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TEHRAN \u2013 Multiple Iranian officials have asserted Iran’s right to respond to Israel\u2019s Saturday attack on the West Asian country\u2019s soil, as the nation mourns the loss of four soldiers who died in fending off the regime\u2019s airstrikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hamzeh Jahandideh, Mohammad Mehdi Shahrokhifar, Sajad Mansour, and Mehdi Naqavi were martyred as Israel attacked defense radars located in the provinces of Khuzestan, Illam, and Tehran.\u00a0The four individuals were part of the Iranian Army\u2019s air defense forces, who managed to prevent dozens of Israeli fighter jets from entering Iran\u2019s airspace in the early hours of Saturday. The war jets used long-rage ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads to shoot at their intended targets inside Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran reserves the right to respond to Israel\u2019s latest aggression. \u201cWe strongly condemn the criminal attack on Iranian military centers as a violation of international law and the UN Charter. Four of our Army heroes sacrificed their lives in defeating this reckless and cowardly assault,\u201d he said before asking the international community to unite against \u201cthis common threat to international peace and security.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his subsequent exchanges with his Syrian, Qatari, and Egyptian counterparts, Araghchi added that Iran will not hesitate to give a decisive and appropriate response to aggression against its territorial integrity and security \u201cin due course\u201d.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was in the same mind as\u00a0Araghchi as he addressed a parliamentary session behind closed doors on Sunday. \u201cThe Islamic Republic will definitely react to the Zionist regime\u2019s most recent act of aggression,\u201d Qalibaf said during a speech at the beginning of the session which was made public. \u00a0He said Israel\u2019s Saturday attack was done out of the regime\u2019s \u201cpassivity\u201d but that doesn\u2019t mean Tehran will not make Israelis pay for violating Iran\u2019s territorial integrity and national sovereignty. \u00a0\u201cThe U.S. as the main sponsor of the Zionist regime, has to push for an end to the massacre of people in Gaza and Lebanon and restrain Israel from waging wars,\u201d the official stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said during a cabinet meeting a day after the attacks that Iran is not “looking for war” but will certainly respond to Israel’s latest aggression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grief and anger spark calls for retaliation<\/strong><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s successful defense against the Israeli attack seems to have instilled a sense of confidence among the Iranian people \u2013 a spirit reflected in a surge on the stock market hours after the failed aggression.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nevertheless, for a nation that hadn’t experienced the loss of life from foreign airstrikes since the end of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Saturday’s attack has also ignited a sense of outrage and a determination to ensure such an event never happens again.<\/p>\n “This is unacceptable,” declared a 54-year-old Tehran resident. “The fact that we heard those explosions, that we were all aware of Israel’s violation of our territorial integrity, means there must be a response. A response that will ensure they never dare to repeat this mistake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The female citizen talking to Iranian media said the sounds that shook Tehran in the early hours of Saturday brought back memories of Saddam Hussein’s airstrikes. “We lost countless young lives defending our country then. We cannot allow the peace and security they sacrificed for to be threatened.”<\/p>\n People from all sectors of the Iranian society have been echoing the same sentiments. A lawmaker representing Iran\u2019s Jewish community urged the country\u2019s Armed Forces on Sunday to deliver a swift response to Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ability of the Zionist army to penetrate into Iran’s territory has been very weak, and the protection of the country’s airspace by the defense system of our country was very effective and excellent,\u201d Homayoun Sameyah Najaf Abadi stated. “Still, we support Iran’s legitimate defense and demand Iran’s decisive response to the aggressive act of the Zionist regime at the right time.”<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s attack against Iran came 25 days after Tehran launched a barrage of 200 ballistic missiles at the occupied territories, successfully targeting several of the regime\u2019s military and intelligence sites. The operation dubbed \u201cTrue Promise II\u201d was a response to a series of Israeli terrorist attacks martyring a number of high-ranking Resistance figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n