JERUSALEM—After the daring Israeli military airstrikes in Iran on Saturday morning, the Jewish state announced that it was prepared to continue the “offensive” against the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran, if Tehran responded.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “If the Iranian regime made the mistake of starting a new series of escalations, we would be obliged to respond. Our message is clear: all those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to lead the region into further escalation wide — will pay a heavy price.

He added: “We demonstrated today that we have both the capacity and the determination to act decisively – and we are ready – on offense and defense – to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel. »

THE UNITED STATES WARNED OF THE ISRAEL STRIKE IN IRAN DAYS IN ADVANCE; IDF declares its mission complete

Iranian air defense reportedly worked as Israel began striking Iranian targets in Tehran. (Obtained by Fox News)

Israel dubbed its Saturday mission “Days of Repentance” in response to Iran’s October 1 barrage of around 200 ballistic missiles on the Holy Land. Iran said it attacked Israel in retaliation for the IDF’s elimination of Tehran-backed Hezbollah global terrorist Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

Pressure exerted on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the Biden-Harris administration appears to have borne fruit by limiting its historic attack on Iran to purely military installations. Israel has avoided destroying Iran’s illicit nuclear sites and its vast oil production enterprises.

“Israel has opted for the least aggressive response against the Islamic Republic by carrying out precise strikes on military targets,” noted Lisa Daftari, Iran expert and editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk.

Daftari told Fox News Digital that “this approach raises questions about whether the United States influenced Israel to adopt a more moderate response, possibly to prevent further escalation.” It could be argued that these strikes succeeded in restoring deterrence, but it could also be said that Israel missed a number of factors, including the timing, selection of targets, and intensity of the strikes, which were complicated by a leak. American and by our next elections. Despite these pressures, Israel appears ready to change its approach if the Islamic Republic decides to escalate the situation. further away.”

Israeli Air Force planes left for strikes in Iran last night. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

On Saturday, Defense Secretary Austin released a statement on X noting that he spoke with his Israeli counterpart in which he “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and its right for self-defense. I made clear that the United States “maintains an enhanced force posture to defend American personnel, Israel, and its partners in the region from threats from Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist organizations and is committed to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.

A senior US official said Friday that “Israel conducted precision airstrikes against multiple military targets across Iran and outside populated areas. The official added that the United States played no role in the mission and that “the president and his national security team, of course, have been working with the Israelis in recent weeks to encourage Israel to take such action.” , to carry out a targeted and proportional response. Lower risk of harm to civilians. And that’s precisely what happened tonight. »

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his phone call with President Biden earlier this month, during which Israel’s response to Iran was reportedly discussed. (Israeli Prime Minister’s Office)

Mardo Soghom, editor-in-chief of Iran International’s English website, told Fox News Digital that “the regime and its media are downplaying the attack. They say it has been ineffective and that the air defenses are formidable. They say Israel’s attack caused minimal damage. Some hardliners of the regime are openly calling for a counterattack. The Iranian Foreign Ministry says its right of response is always reserved. »

Israel begins retaliatory strikes against Iran following missile barrage targeting Israel

He attributed the Foreign Ministry’s response to clichéd diplomatic language and noted that “No one witnessed the firing of the S-300 air defense system,” suggesting that Israel bypassed the notorious anti-aircraft device. -Russian-made missile from Iran.

A female IDF pilot in her plane as part of the “Days of Repentance” mission against Iran. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

“My analysis is that the United States and Israel seem to have Iran in an impasse. The United States has warned Iran not to respond, so if Iran responds, it could justify an American response,” said Iran expert Soghom.

Israeli counterattacks reportedly killed two Iranian soldiers, including an officer, according to regime-controlled media. It is not yet clear whether Tehran will up the ante and launch new missile attacks against the Jewish state.

Fox News Digital contacted an IDF spokesperson regarding an Israeli report claiming that Israel was preparing for retaliatory strikes with Iranian ballistic missiles. The IDF spokesperson said: “It’s nothing special. We are always preparing.”

Axios reported that Israel issued pre-attack warning to Iranian regime. “The Israelis made it clear in advance to the Iranians what they were going to attack in general and what they were not going to attack,” a source told Axios. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital regarding this information.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducts a security assessment at the Air Force Headquarters, Kirya Base in Tel Aviv, with the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff, the head of Mossad and head of Shin Bet. (Israeli Prime Minister’s Office)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, head of one of Israel’s main opposition parties, criticized the attack on X, saying it was a missed opportunity. A translation of his message read in part: “The decision not to attack strategic and economic targets in Iran was a mistake. We could and should have demanded a much higher price from Iran.”

The Times of Israel rreports that former Defense Minister and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman said Israel had failed to “exact a real price” from the Islamic Republic and criticized the government for its “sense of show “.