Iran Issues Fresh Threats Against Israel, U.S.

Latest Developments

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly threatened both Israel and the United States on November 2, 2024, one week after Israel’s retaliatory strikes targeted Iran’s air defenses and ballistic missile production.

“The enemies, both the U.S. and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing against Iran and the resistance front,” Khamenei said. The chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Hossein Salami, echoed these sentiments by stating Iran “will give an unimaginable response to the enemy.”

Iran has launched attacks against the Jewish State for more than one year, both from its proxy terrorist organizations in the region and directly from its territory since Hamas’s brutal attack into Israel on October 7, 2023. On April 13 and October 1 of this year, Iran directly attacked Israel with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, resulting in negligible damage.

The Israeli Air Force struck Iran in retaliation on October 26, 2024. The attack came in three waves, targeting Iranian air defenses, including Russian-made S-300 systems, along with ballistic missile production capabilities throughout the country. With Iran’s vulnerabilities exposed, the regime openly threatens retaliation for the strike as it intensifies attacks on Israel by its main proxy, Hezbollah.

Expert Analysis

“Pressure is rising inside the regime as the extent of the damage Israel inflicted is more widely understood. But Khamenei must still recognize the enormous risk of inviting Israeli jets and missiles to return. I suspect he is evaluating the comprehensive options menu, which includes, but is not limited to, an Iraq-based attack, to determine where those options sit on Israel’s escalation envelope.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Washington would be wise not to miss the signal amid the noise. Khamenei’s hyperbole about a crushing response against Israel is rooted in a cognizance of his regime’s weakness, not strength. But this marks the second time since Israel’s retaliation against the Islamic Republic that the regime’s most powerful person has also issued veiled threats about pursuing nuclear weapons. As Khamenei sees the conventional deterrent architecture he has overseen for the past two decades go up in smoke over the past few months, the imperative of nuclear saber rattling and putting the Islamic Republic in prime position to acquire a nuclear weapon is rapidly growing.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow

“Israel Responds to Iranian Missile Attacks, Targeting Military Sites,” FDD Flash Brief

“The key takeaways from Israel’s strikes on Iran,” by Seth J. Frantzman

“Multi-front drone threats against Israel increase,” by Seth J. Frantzman

“Iran reacts to Israel’s direct retaliation,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu