“We will strike you again painfully,” Iran top official dares Israel

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief, Hossein Salami, issued a stern warning to Israel on Thursday, vowing to retaliate if Israeli forces target Iranian interests.

Speaking at the funeral of an IRGC general killed in a recent Israeli strike in Lebanon, Salami declared, “If you make a mistake and attack our targets, whether in the region or in Iran, we will strike you again painfully.”

The charging statement comes after Iran’s October 1 missile attack and Israel’s subsequent vow to take action against Iranian targets.

The current tensions between Iran and Israel are part of a broader, complex conflict involving regional proxies and allies.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since last October has reached over 2,300, with 10,782 others injured, according to a statement from the Lebanese Health Ministry on Monday.

Since September 23, Israel has launched extensive airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah positions, displacing more than 1.34 million individuals in the process.

Despite the escalating rhetoric, there may be opportunities for de-escalation. Ongoing ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by the United States and Arab partners, could provide a pathway to reducing tensions.