- Israel warned it would target civilian sites in Iran following recent missile attacks
- The residents of Tehran will soon pay the price, says Israel's Defence Minister
- He later clarified that Israel has no intention to physically harm the civilians
Israel has warned it would next hit civilian targets in Tehran in response to Iran's missile attacks, snubbing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as an "arrogant dictator", as the two countries accused each other of hitting civilian targets in the latest flare-up in the Middle East.
"The arrogant dictator from Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who fires targeted shots at the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing its capabilities. The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon," said Defence Minister Israel Katz.
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Katz later clarified Israel has no intention to physically harm the civilians and that they would "pay the price of dictatorship" by having to evacuate from their homes.
"I would like to clarify the obvious: there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does against the residents of Israel. The residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price of dictatorship and evacuate their homes from areas where it will be necessary to attack regime targets and security infrastructure in Tehran," he said.
Khamenei had earlier vowed that Iran would deal heavy blows to the "evil Zionist enemy", which refers to Israel.
Threats from both sides risk worsening the years-long Middle East crisis that follows decades of shadow wars and covert operations. The latest attacks have not only raised humanitarian concerns but also trade implications, with crude prices seeing a surge.
So far, 230 deaths have been reported by Iran, while 18 died in Israel in the latest missile strikes.
Iran last night launched missile strikes on different Israeli cities, described as "heavy blows to Zionists" by Khamenei. "Life will definitely become bitter for the Zionists," he warned, sharing a video that showed missiles raining down on Israel.
Visuals from Israel capital Tel Aviv showed buildings destroyed after a warning from the Israeli forces for the civilians to take shelter. Loud explosions were also reported from Jerusalem, with the night sky lit up by Iranian projectiles.
The missile attacks followed Israeli strikes deep inside Iran. Israeli Defence Forces said this morning they struck command centres of the Quds Force from where attacks were planned on Israel using proxies of the Iranian regime. They claimed to have degraded the Iranian weapon production sites as well in the latest strikes.
