Netanyahu's Message to Iran: Do Not Threaten Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, warned Iran on Monday, June 19, not to threaten the country. According to AFP, the Israeli Prime Minister again considered Iran a threat to Israel, the Middle East, and even the world, adding, "We are monitoring their actions and statements. I have a message for Iran: Do not threaten Israel." Speaking to senior members of the Likud party, he added, "The army and security forces are monitoring Iran's activities in the region." Netanyahu's remarks came after Iran's missile attack on positions of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the Islamic State's positions in northeastern Syria on the night of June 18, in response to recent attacks by the group in Iran. These attacks, which occurred on June 7, targeted the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, resulting in 15 deaths and 52 injuries. The IRGC announced that it fired Zulfiqar missiles from the Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces in western Iran towards targets associated with "takfiri groups" in Deir ez-Zor. A military expert from the Hebrew radio network in Israel stated on June 19 that "this Iranian action is new and unprecedented, and although the distance from western Iran to eastern Syria can be covered by a medium-range missile, the impact of the missiles on the target is significant and represents an enhancement of Iran's operational capability." The Israeli news website "Nana" also reported that Israeli security agencies, monitoring the performance of the new Zulfiqar missile with a range of 750 kilometers, suspect that Iran may also deliver these missiles to Hezbollah. According to this report, although the Zulfiqar missile's range cannot reach Israel from Iran, the situation would change if the missiles were handed over to Hezbollah in Lebanon; however, according to Israeli assessments, Hezbollah has not yet received such missiles from Iran. Meanwhile, the newspaper "Haaretz" noted that Israeli security agencies have been monitoring Iran's missile attacks and added, "These agencies will conduct the necessary assessments." The Orthodox Jewish website "JDN" also reported that "Iran's action is also considered a deterrent message to Israel, as Iran's attack on the heart of the enemy can also worry Israel." Additionally, Guy Elster, an expert on the Israeli website "Walla News," wrote that "Iran's choice to attack from Iranian territory and fire missiles over Iraqi airspace to eastern Syria pursues two main objectives." According to this expert, "One of Iran's objectives for this attack was to improve its image within Iran, as the Islamic State's attacks to infiltrate the Parliament building and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini damaged the Iranian government's reputation." He wrote, "The second goal of Iran was to send a clear message to Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and even Israel." This expert also noted, "If the Iranian missiles fired towards Deir ez-Zor had gone off course and, for example, hit American forces stationed in Syria fighting against the Islamic State, it could have created an international crisis, but Iran accepted the risks of such an attack." Ron Ben-Yishai, an experienced Israeli military expert, also wrote on the website "Ynet" that "Iran's action is a warning not only to Israel but also to the Gulf monarchies and even to the U.S. These attacks signify an expansion of Iran's involvement in Syria, and if the missiles actually hit their targets, Iran has found another option besides using Hezbollah to counter Israel." According to this report, until now, it was the U.S. and Russia that had the capability to carry out such precise attacks within the framework of Middle Eastern wars, but Iran also demonstrated its power well on the night of June 18. According to "Ynet," Iran's missile attack "is not yet the last word from this country." This report states that the oil fields of Sunni Arab countries that have aligned against Iran, or the military bases of these countries, will now be more vulnerable. "Ynet" wrote that the U.S., which has air, ground, and naval bases in Qatar and Bahrain, must be more cautious from now on, and that is why Iran's attack, although against the Islamic State, has global implications.