Iranian official warns any Israeli submarine that reaches Gulf will be targeted

i24NEWS

December 27, 2020, 06:18 AM

Iran warned on Sunday that if an Israeli submarine is found lurking inside the Persian Gulf, it will not hesitate to meet such aggression with a “strong and massive” response.

“Israel must know that our response to aggression against our national security will be strong and massive,” Abu al-Fadl Amoui, a spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, told Al-Jazeera Arabic during a recent interview.

“Israel is looking for excuses to drag the region into a tension that creates chaos in the last days of the Trump presidency,” the official added.

The spokesman also threatened neighboring Arab nations who have normalized ties with Israel or have clandestine relations, warning that bringing Jerusalem too close to Iran’s borders would spark a dangerous reaction.

Amoui’s remarks come just days after an Israeli submarine reportedly crossed into the Suez Canal in what security experts say was a show of force directed at Iran, according to The Washington Post.

Citing Arab intelligence sources, the report said the move was conducted with Egypt’s approval and in the midst of seething tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran.

The sources estimated that the vessel was heading toward the Persian Gulf, and by exposing itself above sea level it was sending a warning message to the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman, Haidai Zilberman, had said that he did not rule out that Iran would attack Israel from Iraq or Yemen. He explained that Tehran is working to develop drones and smart missiles in those two countries.

Tensions between Israel and Iran rose to new heights following the targeted killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh near Tehran in November.