Tehran says it won’t be deterred, vows ‘definite and decisive’ response to Israeli airstrikes but expresses support for ceasefire efforts in Gaza and Lebanon
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday criticized what he called the United States’ “destabilizing presence” after the deployment of B-52 bombers in the region
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“We have always believed that the presence of America in the region is a destabilizing presence”
said Baghaei at a news conference in response to a question about the deployment, adding,
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it “will not deter [Iran’s] resolve to defend itself”
The US military announced on Saturday the deployment of heavy B-52 bombers to the Middle East as a warning to Iran which has vowed to respond to Israeli strikes on its military sites on October 26, 2024
Weeks earlier, the Islamic Republic launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, 2024 sending most of the population rushing to bomb shelters and safe rooms
The assault — Iran’s second direct attack on Israel, after a drone and missile strike in April 2024 — caused relatively minor damage to military bases and some residential areas in Israel and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank
Iran said its October 1 attack came in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed terror leaders and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander
*Associated Press and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
