Israel’s military chief on Monday (local time) stated that the country will respond to Iran’s weekend attack and is waiting for a decision from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid fears of escalation in the Middle East crisis. Meanwhile, Iran said it will "respond in seconds" to any strikes from Israel and would even deploy "weapons never used before" if necessary.

The Israeli military chief, Herzi Halevi, stressed that Israel is considering its next steps and that the April 13 Iranian strike, “will be met with a response", while Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran for Political Affairs, Ali Bagheri Kan, asserted that the response speed from Iran "will be less than a few seconds."

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Israel's military chief said, "As we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response." Army's spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, added that the country will respond “at the time that we choose”.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official, Abolfazl Amoui, stated that the country has devised comprehensive strategies for all potential scenarios in the event of Israeli escalation and is prepared to deploy "previously unused weaponry" in case of any Israeli strikes.

The White House said Iran did not provide warnings to the United States last week about its timeframe for launching an attack on Israel or its potential targets, and the Pentagon added "we obviously will take necessary measures to protect our forces in the region".

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialised nations is working on a package of coordinated measures against Iran following the drone attack on Israel.

Source: India Today