TEHRAN: Iran rejected proposal of the United States, reportedly conveyed through diplomatic channels, to permit Israel to conduct a “symbolic strike” following Iran’s recent retaliatory drone and missile onslaught, reports said.
An Iranian military official disclosed the US proposal to a section of media saying that Washington had reached out to Tehran via intermediaries, suggesting that Iran refrain from retaliating to an Israeli strike to allow Tel Aviv to “save face.”
However, he said, Iranian leadership swiftly rebuffed the US proposal, asserting that any Israeli aggression on Iranian soil would be met with an immediate and decisive response.
The Iranian response, delivered directly to the Swiss envoy in Tehran by officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was intended to convey a strong message to the US, the source revealed.
This development comes in the wake of Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile barrage over the weekend, targeting Israeli military installations in response to the bombing of Iran’s consulate in Damascus.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani warned that Tehran’s response to any Israeli retaliation would be swift, emphasizing that Iran “will not wait” to react.
Despite expectations from US defense officials of a “limited response” from Israel against Iran, discussions within Israel’s war cabinet reportedly continue without a final decision. Israeli army chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, reiterated Israel’s commitment to respond to Iran’s recent operation, vowing that the barrage of missiles and drones launched by Iran would not go unanswered.
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