Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi embarked on a three-day visit to Pakistan on Monday, vowing to enhance trade between the neighboring nations to $10 billion annually.

Raisi also warned that any Israeli attack on Iranian territory could trigger a dramatic escalation, potentially leading to the annihilation of the “Zionist regime.”

On April 13, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus. However, most of the projectiles were intercepted.

On Friday, explosions were reported in Isfahan, Iran, allegedly due to an Israeli attack on a missile defense system. Tehran downplayed the incident and ruled out retaliation.

The New York Times revealed that Israel had initially planned a more extensive counterstrike on Iranian targets, including areas near Tehran. Such an attack could have provoked a forceful Iranian response.

Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the counterstrike, but its leaders have hinted at their involvement. Iran has minimized the attack’s significance and refrained from directly blaming Israel, which the Times interprets as a reluctance to retaliate.

Raisi reaffirmed Iran’s support for the Palestinian resistance, referring specifically to Hamas’s conflict with Israel in Gaza.

Iran and Israel’s long-standing shadow war became overt during the Gaza conflict. Israel launched an offensive after Hamas and other terrorist groups attacked its territory, killing civilians and taking hostages.

Iran’s proxies in Lebanon and Yemen have also targeted Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas receives financial and logistical assistance from Iran. CONTINUE READING