As the war between Israel and Gaza continues, Israel is also preparing for scenarios in other areas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, amid concern that Iran was preparing to strike Israel in response to the killing of senior Iranian commanders.
"Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively," he said in comments released by his office following a visit to the Tel Nof Air Force Base in southern Israel.
Israel has been bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the killing of a senior general and six other Iranian officers in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for the attack.
As the volatile situation remains, the international community closely monitors developments and calls for restraint from both sides to prevent further destabilization of an already turbulent region. "Right now it's very important for everyone to maintain restraint so as not to lead to a complete destabilization of the situation in the region, which doesn't exactly shine with stability and predictability," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says.
Video: PM Netanyahu says Israel is preparing for various scenarios // x/@israelipm
US officials have stated they are bracing for a potential Iranian response, while the Israeli military has been placed on high alert in anticipation of reprisal attacks.
Netanyahu made his comments as Israeli troops and warplanes started an operation in central Gaza overnight which the military said was aimed at destroying infrastructure of Palestinian terror groups.
Most Israeli troops have been pulled out of Gaza, in preparation for an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering, but fighting has continued in various areas of the enclave.
A ceasefire does not appear to be likely in the near future as Hamas rejects another proposal, in which Israel would allow the return of 150,000 Palestinians to northern Gaza with no security checks, and in return, Hamas would be required to give a list of female, elderly and sick hostages it still holds alive.
