Israel will not be deterred from counterstriking Iran as payback for Tehran's massive ballistic missile barrage earlier this month, the country's defense minister said on Wednesday, confirming that preparations are still underway after the bombshell leak of classified American intelligence on the Jewish state's operational planning.
"After we attack in Iran, they will understand in Israel and elsewhere what your preparations have included," Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers stationed at the Hatzerim air base in the Negev desert. "Everyone will understand your strength, the process of preparation and training—any enemy that tries to harm the State of Israel will pay a heavy price."
Speaking to pilots and air crews at the Hatzerim Airbase, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says that "after we strike in Iran, everyone will understand what you did in the preparation and training process."
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Gallant's defiant remarks emphasize that Israel will not back down from directly striking Tehran, even after a top-secret cache of documents on Israel's war plans spilled into public view over the weekend. The documents, prepared by the U.S. intelligence community, exposed detailed information about Israel's war plans.
While the documents did not detail when and where Israel will strike inside Iran, American officials reportedly believe the attack will occur before the November U.S. presidential election.
Gallant met earlier on Tuesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was dispatched to the region as part of an effort to pressure Israel into inking a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the killing last week of the terror group's leader, Yahya Sinwar.
Gallant said that during his meeting with Blinken, he "emphasized the importance of standing together against Iranian aggression—amplifying deterrence across the region." The pair also discussed the Israeli military's "operational progress in the various arenas," including efforts to dismantle Hamas's remaining capabilities and "destroy Hezbollah's attack infrastructure" in Lebanon.
On both fronts, Gallant said, Israel will continue its defensive war until the Iran-backed terror groups are completely defanged.
Even after the extraordinary assassination last month of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the terror group has continued to lob missiles at Israeli towns along the border with Lebanon, including a Wednesday drone strike on an Israeli military base near Haifa.
Hezbollah also attempted to assassinate Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last weekend via a drone attack on one of his homes, likely as revenge for the airstrike that killed Nasrallah. The Israeli leader was not injured in the strike and said in a subsequent statement that the terror group made "a grave mistake."
"This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future," Netanyahu said in a statement on X. "I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil: Anyone who tries to harm Israel's citizens will pay a heavy price."
On Wednesday, during his own meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu said the attempt on his life will not go unanswered.
"This is an issue of dramatic significance that cannot be ignored," Netanyahu reportedly told Blinken in the meeting.