Iran military heads vow 'crushing' response to Israel as UN atomic chief says nuke sites shouldn't be attacked

Tensions betwixt Iran and Israel stay heightened arsenic Tehran’s subject heads connected Thursday erstwhile again pledged a crushing effect to Jerusalem’s strikes past month, and the U.N.’s atomic watchdog is scrambling to forestall a atomic escalation. 

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi traveled to Iran this week to clasp precocious level meetings with Iranian officials successful a determination to clasp Tehran accountable for anterior atomic safeguarding pledges and to get clarity connected wherever Iran’s atomic programme stands. 

However, adjacent arsenic Tehran continues to develop its atomic program contempt planetary attempts to stall it, Grossi besides issued a informing connection to Israel, stating intelligibly that Iran’s "nuclear installations should not beryllium attacked."

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, left, meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian successful Tehran, Iran, connected May 6, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

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Grossi’s comments came during a quality league Thursday and conscionable 3 days aft Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz connected Monday said that Iran was "more exposed than ever [for] strikes connected its atomic facilities."

"We person the accidental to execute our astir important extremity – to thwart and destruct the existential menace to the State of Israel," helium added.

The White House has repeatedly warned Israel to not spell aft Iran’s atomic sites, though arsenic the Biden medication prepares to permission travel January, erstwhile President-elect Donald Trump retakes the Oval Office, the U.S. authoritative stance connected Israeli onslaught options could change. 

Grossi’s travel to Iran comes astatine a pivotal clip for geopolitics arsenic the U.S. nether the Trump medication is expected to instrumentality a much hardline attack against Iran, though it remains unclear however Washington’s policies successful the portion could change.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has analyzed wherever Iran's atomic infrastructure is located arsenic Israel mulls retaliatory attack. (Image provided by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

Iran appears undeterred by Trump’s oregon Israel’s threats, and its apical authorities and subject officials person repeatedly said Tehran volition contented a retaliatory stroke pursuing Israel’s attacks successful precocious October.

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In a Thursday gathering with household members of Major Sajjad Mansouri – who was reportedly killed during the Oct. 26 Israeli strikes – Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Major General Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi promised a "crushing" stroke to Israel.

"We volition find the clip and mode of our response. There volition beryllium nary hesitation erstwhile the clip comes, and our reply volition surely beryllium crushing," helium said according to Tehran-based quality outlet Iran Front Page News, echoing threats issued by Iran’s ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this period erstwhile helium said Tehran would contented a "crushing response."

Similarly, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Ali Fadavi connected Thursday said, "The full satellite volition carnivore witnesser arsenic the implicit downfall of the Zionist authorities fulfills the triumph of righteousness implicit falsehood."

"This is simply a divine promise: the enactment of God shall prevail, and the enactment of evil shall look defeat," helium added, according to the Iran International quality outlet.

Smoke billows implicit Beirut's confederate suburbs aft an Israeli onslaught amid the ongoing hostilities betwixt Hezbollah and Israeli forces, arsenic seen from Baabda, Lebanon, connected Nov. 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani)

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Israel has ramped up its attacks against Iran-backed proxies similar Hezbollah successful Lebanon and the Islamic Jihad violent enactment successful Syria.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck militant positions successful the superior cities of Beirut and Damascus connected Thursday, hitting violent infrastructure sites and bid centers, according to the IDF.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said six radical had been killed and 15 wounded successful the Israeli airstrike that deed a confederate Beirut flat building, reported Haaretz.

Residents successful Beirut were allegedly advised to evacuate up of the strikes, though it is unclear however galore of the causalities were terrorists oregon civilians. 

Another 15 were reportedly killed successful Damascus portion 16 much were injured successful the strikes.

People transportation their luggage arsenic they transverse into Syria connected foot, done a crater caused by Israeli airstrikes aiming to artifact the Beirut-Damascus road astatine the Masnaa crossing, successful the eastbound Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, connected Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

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Senior Advisor to Khamenei Ali Larijani reportedly visited Damascus connected Thursday and is scheduled to caput to Lebanon arsenic the caput of a high-ranking delegation, according to an Iranian overseas ministry spokesperson, reported state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency. 

The spokesperson reportedly said Larijani "would conscionable with high-ranking Syrian officials, including the premier curate and the talker of the Lebanese parliament, to sermon the astir caller improvement of the region."

It remains unclear if helium was successful Damascus oregon Beirut astatine the clip of the strikes.