The Tehran Times published on Wednesday a front-page article with a map threatening Israel with missile attacks, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The article in the state-affiliated paper headlined "Just one wrong move!" stated that "an intensification of the Israeli military threats against Iran seems to suggest that the Zionist regime has forgotten that Iran is more than capable of hitting them from anywhere," adding it "doesn’t need to remind the illegitimate regime of Israel of Iran’s defense capabilities."
The article ended with a quote by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from 2013 that Tehran would "destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa" if Israel "makes a mistake" and carries out a military strike.
The article also quoted Iranian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri that "at the strategic level we do not intend to strike anyone, but at the operational and tactical level we are ready for a decisive response and a quick and tough offensive against the enemy," The Times of Israel reported.
The threat comes as Israel and the United States prepare for a military option if negotiations in Vienna fail in their attempt to return to the Iranian nuclear deal. In addition, a large IDF drill mimicking a strike on Iran is reportedly planned for next year, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The threatening article also appeared after Ynet reported that Israel's alleged strike on Syrian chemical weapons sites half a year ago was a "direct message" to its enemies.
Western sources said that Israel claimed to have leaked the information on the military operation in Syria as a way to signal Tehran that it will act against "unconventional" weapons in the region, even if the strike requires "aerial refueling," which Israel would require in case of an attack on Iran.
Ynet also reported that Israeli officials say the map of the alleged targets published in the article is inaccurate, since some of them do not exist, while others include cities within Palestinian territories. The officials also pointed out that Iranian capabilities to target Israel without the help of Hezbollah in Lebanon are extremely limited.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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