Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense minister, said on Sunday that Tehran will strike back in the event of an attack by Israel or the United States.
Nasirzadeh made her comments after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to retaliate in retaliation for the Houthi group, backed by Tehran, for firing a missile near Israel’s airport.
Nasirzadeh, a spokesperson for Iranian state TV, said that Iran would target the interests and bases of the U.S. and the Zionist regime.
Houthis, backed by Iran, launched a missile near Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, the latest of a series of attacks. They claimed to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza.
“Attacks of the Houthis originate from Iran.” Israel will respond both to the Houthi attacks against our main airport and, at a place and time of our choosing, their Iranian terror masters,” Netanyahu stated on the social media platform X.
Nasirzadeh, echoing Iran’s official position, said that the Houthis are motivated by their motives.
Houthis with an Iranian affiliation have launched missiles and drones against Israel to support Hamas fighters. Since March 15, the United States has struck Houthi strongholds throughout Yemen. President Donald Trump has pledged to hold Iran accountable for any attacks by this group.
Nasirzadeh said that Iran “has no hostility towards neighboring countries,” however, in the event of an attack on the U.S. base located in the area, Tehran will consider it a target.
Iran’s state media reported that the minister made his statements after Iran unveiled on Sunday its new ballistic missile with a solid fuel called “Qassem Bassir,” a missile which has a 1,200 km range (750 miles).