An Iranian commander claimed on Thursday that the Islamic Republic knows the location of Israel’s nuclear facilities, further escalating regional tensions ahead of possible Israeli military action against Iran.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Maj. Gen. Ahmad Haghtalab, charged with protecting Iran's nuclear sites, said that Tehran has its "fingers on the trigger" to target the Israeli installations.
"The nuclear facilities of the Zionist enemy have been identified, and we have the necessary information about all the targets, and in other words, our fingers are on the trigger of powerful missiles to destroy the specified targets in response to their possible action," said Haghtalab, as reported by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency.
Haghtalab added that Iran could “revise” its nuclear policies if Israel were to attack its facilities.
"If Israel attempts to use the threat of attacking nuclear facilities to put pressure on Iran, a revision of the nuclear doctrine and a departure from the previously announced considerations is likely," he said, Tasnim reported.
Israel built a nuclear facility in the Negev city of Dimona and is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons although no Israeli government has acknowledged having them. Iran says that its nuclear energy program is for peaceful purposes, but has been accused by the United States and Israeli officials of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Haghtalab’s comments follow Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday. Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 120 ballistic missiles and more than 30 cruise missiles in the attack. The Israeli military said 99% of them were downed.
The Iranian attack came in response to a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus earlier this month that left seven members of the IRGC dead, including two high-ranking commanders. Israel has been suspected of carrying out regular strikes against Iranian military targets in neighboring Syria, viewing Iran's presence so close to its territory as a threat. As in past instances, Israel did not comment on its alleged involvement in the strike.
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, said on Monday that the Iranian attack “will be met with a response,” but Israel is yet to retaliate.
Iranian commanders have threatened to use more force than in Iran's recent strike should Israel retaliate. Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Thursday that Saturday’s strike used “old weapons” and did not feature a variety of available missiles, including the Khorramshahr and Sejjil ballistic missiles, Tasnim reported. On Sunday, IRGC commander in chief Hossein Salami told the semi-official Press TV that in the event of an Israeli attack, “We will not hesitate to retaliate from our own land.”
