Iran’s foreign minister downplayed the Israeli attack and said his country would not retaliate unless Iran’s interests were targeted.
As is known, on Friday (19/4), Iranian state media reported that a small Israeli drone that entered Iranian territory was successfully shot down.
Media in the United States quoted officials there as saying Israel launched the attacks in retaliation for drone attacks and missiles Tehran fired at Israel last weekend.
“What happened last night was not an attack,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told NBC News in an interview Friday. “It was a flight of two or three quad-copters, which is equivalent to the toys our children use in Iran.”
“As long as there are no new adventures in the name of the Israeli regime once morest Iran’s interests, we will not respond,” he added.
Israel’s ‘attack’ on Friday prompted world leaders to call for calm and de-escalation over fears of a wider conflict once morest the backdrop of the war in Gaza that began on October 7.
Also read: Iran Attacks Israel with Hundreds of Drones and Missiles
Last week, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory. The attack was a response to a deadly April 1 airstrike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, which Iran blamed on Israel.
The Israeli army said most of the more than 300 missiles and drones fired by Iran were shot down – with the help of the United States and other allies – and the strikes caused only minor damage.
Israeli officials have not commented publicly on what happened on Friday, and analysts say for now both sides are working on de-escalation.
“If the Israeli regime intends to take other actions that are contrary to our interests, our next response will be immediate and maximum,” Amir-Abdollahian said in the interview. (AFP/M-3)
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