DUBAI, April 16. /TASS/. Against the background of the recent strike on Israeli territory in response to the shelling of the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that any further actions against the Islamic republic's interests will be met with a "terrible response."
"The operation <...> to punish the aggressor has been carried out successfully. We now firmly declare that even the slightest action against Iran's interests is bound to meet a terrible, large-scale and painful response," he said in a telephone conversation with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Raisi's administration published a report of the conversation on its website.
The Iranian president opined that the UN Security Council and the organization as a whole "failed to fulfill their minimum legal obligations to condemn the [Israeli] attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus." So, he added, Tehran "in accordance with the right to self-defense under the 51st article of the UN Charter" attacked "the same centers from which the malicious acts" against the Islamic republic were carried out.
According to the Iranian administration, the Qatari emir "praised the Islamic Republic of Iran for its actions in formulating and implementing a response to the crimes" of Israel and said that the move "contains a clear and distinct message for all."
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles toward Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes" by Tel Aviv, including the attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, for which it blamed Israel. Iranian government-owned news media reported that the strikes on Israel targeted military sites. The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted 99% of the nearly 350 projectiles that were launched toward the country. Israel did not report any fatalities or serious injuries, saying only that minor damage had been caused to Nevatim Air Base.