Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Israel has been standing against “the terror attacks from Iran and its proxies” and has “precisely targeted military bases” in the country, Israel Consul General Kobbi Shoshani said on Saturday and asserted that Israel can reach any place in the Middle East “in a very massive way”.
In an interview with media, Kobbi Shoshani spoke about the conflict in the Middle East and said they have some conditions which include Hamas not having any military capability and there should be safety zone in Lebanon where Hezbollah will leave the area and there will be Lebanon Army.
Kobbi Shoshani, who is Consul General of Israel to Midwest India, said the big challenge they are facing right now in the Israel-Hamas conflict is that of hostages.
“That bothers us very much… Some friends of Israel are negotiating with Hamas to find a solution. We are also looking forward to a solution. We have some conditions and one of them is that Hamas will not have any military capability… Secondly, in Lebanon, we want to create a safety zone where Hezbollah will leave the area and the army of Lebanon will be there,” he said.
Referring to “Israeli response to Iran’s attacks” carried out on Saturday, Kobbi Shoshani said the results will be evident soon.
“We will see the result very soon. We’ll see from the satellites, but the message is very, very clear. Israel can reach any place in the Middle East, whether it’s far or not far in a very accurate, in a very massive way. This is a message, ‘Don’t mess with us’,” he said.
He said Israeli forces only targeted military facilities and Tel Aviv is committed to bringing safety and peace in the Middle East.
“That is the difference between us and our enemies. We only targeted military bases, not civilians, as happened in recent years between Israel and Lebanon, between Israel and Gaza, and between Israel and Iran. We precisely targeted directly the military bases in Iran. It was quite an impressive operation… They were military targets, very precise and accurate operation. From our perspective, is over with Iran. I hope that they will not make a mistake to make a retaliation,” he said.
“We are looking forward to what is going to be the reaction of Iran… For more than a year, we have been standing against the terror attacks from Iran and its proxies… It is coming from Gaza, Houthies, Yemen and other proxies. Israel is committed to bringing safety and peace to the Middle East,” he added.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7 last year. Local health authorities in Gaza say that 42,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive.
Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel had achieved its objectives after its military carried out “precise strikes” on military sites in Iran stating that those who threaten Israel will pay a heavy price.
Iranian state media, citing Iran’s air defence force, said the attacks caused limited damage in some locations and the dimensions of the incident are under investigation.
Tasnim news outlet, citing informed sources, reported that “Iran reserves its right to respond to any form of aggression and there is no doubt that Israel will receive a proportional reaction to any action taken.”
In a brief video statement release on Saturday, IDF spokesperson stated, “I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran, thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel. The IDF has fulfilled its mission.”
Hagari cautioned that if Iran initiates another round of escalation, Israel will respond accordingly. “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond.”
“Our message is clear: all those who threaten the state of Israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price. “Today, we demonstrated that we have both the capability and resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared on offence and defence to defend the state of Israel and the people of Israel,” he added.
Iran had fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel earlier this month in apparent retaliation to Israel’s campaign against some of its allies.
Israel Foreign Ministry also released a statement on X on Saturday, confirming the attacks.
“Our planes have safely returned home. The strike was conducted in response to the attacks by the Iranian regime against the State of Israel and its citizens in recent months.”
It said the retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled.