Iran vows to 'respond firmly' to Israeli strikes

TEHRAN

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday Tehran would "respond firmly and effectively" to deadly Israeli strikes on military sites over the weekend.

"We are using all available means to respond firmly and effectively to the aggression of the Zionist regime," Baghaei told a regular news conference.

"The nature of our response will depend on the nature of the attack."

Israel on Oct. 26 conducted airstrikes on military sites in Iran in response to Tehran's Oct. 1 attack on Israel, itself retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

At least four soldiers were killed in the strikes, according to the military, and Iranian media reported on Monday that a civilian was also killed in the attack.

"The martyr Allahverdi Rahimpour, a civilian who was killed near Tehran during the recent attack by the Zionist regime, has been buried," the local Fars news agency reported.

Tasnim news agency also reported the death, saying Rahimpour worked as "a [security] guard in a company" and lived in the city of Nassimshahr southwest of Tehran.

Authorities had not previously reported civilian deaths in the strikes.

The strikes took place against the backdrop of Israel's ongoing war with Hamas, which expanded in recent weeks to also focus on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Both groups are part of the "axis of resistance" aligned with Iran against Israel.

Baghaei said a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon has remained the "goal" for Iran.

He further urged the U.N. Security Council to take a "decisive and firm" stance with regards to the attack.

During the conference, Baghaei decried Israel's "abuse" of Iraq's airspace to launch the attack on Iran.

"The Zionist regime does not respect any limits in its law-breaking approach... it has repeatedly violated the airspace of many countries," he said.

Meanwhile, the top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has warned Israel it would face "bitter consequences" after its attack on Iranian military sites, local media said on Monday.

Guards chief Hossein Salami, quoted by Tasnim news agency, said Israel had "failed to achieve its ominous goals" with its air raids on Oct. 26.

Israel struck military sites in response to Tehran's October 1 missile attack, itself retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

Salami said the Israeli attack was a sign of "miscalculation and helplessness" as Israel battles Tehran-aligned militants in Gaza and Lebanon.

"Its bitter consequences will be unimaginable" for Israel, Salami warned according to Tasnim.

Iranian media have played down the severity of the Israeli operation, signalling what analysts say is the Islamic republic's reluctance to escalate further.