Iran, he believes, has “no viable strategic alternative to its forward defence policy because of its comparative weakness in terms of its conventional weapons capabilities.”
Vaez says the leadership in Tehran will believe it needs to “impose a cost” on Israel for the attack on its embassy compound, “to preserve its credibility with its regional partners.”
The warning comes after the Revolutionary Guard warned on Friday that “our brave men will punish the Zionist regime,” for the airstrike, which took out seven of the group’s members in total. The blast was seen as a significant escalation in the long-running shadow war between the two nations.
Tensions between the two archenemies have flared as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza rages on, with fears growing of a wider far on multiple fronts.
Israel’s invasion began after terror group Hamas, one of Iran’s proxies which controls Gaza, unleashed a terror attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people, with around 250 others taken hostage.
In response, Israel launched a bombardment, then a ground offensive in Gaza as it vowed to crush Hamas, in a prolonged siege which has claimed the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians, and enflamed regional tensions.
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President Biden has been steadfast in his support for Israel, and its mission to take down Hamas, providing billions in aid to Tel Aviv to support their war effort.
But relations between Biden and Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu have deteriorated in recent weeks, as the White House comes under increasing public pressure over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
He has not, however, committed to ending military aid to America’s long-time ally, and US officials are concerned about a potential Iranian response.
On Friday a senior administration official said the US is actively preparing for a “significant” attack by Iran that could come within the next week in response to the consulate blast.
The attack would be Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the Middle East, CNN reported the official as saying.
The US and Israeli governments are working furiously to prepare for a possible attack by Iran, as they believe a strike is “inevitable,” according to the outlet.
