Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday appeared to reiterate his warning to Iran that Israel would retaliate if attacked, as the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel reportedly to discuss what US intelligence officials have described as an “imminent” threat from Tehran.
“We are in challenging times. We are in the midst of a war in Gaza that is continuing with full force. In addition, we are continuing with ceaseless efforts to return our hostages, but we are also preparing for challenges from other fronts,” Netanyahu told pilots as he visited an F-15 base.
Iran has repeatedly vowed to retaliate for an alleged Israeli strike last week on a consular building in its Damascus embassy complex, which killed two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers. That incident came amid spiraling violence on Israel’s northern border due to near-daily attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group since October 8.
“We set a simple principle: Anyone who hits us, we hit them,” Netanyahu said in apparent reference to Iranian threats to carry out strikes against Israel. “We are ready to fulfill our responsibilities to Israel’s security, in defense and attack.”
“I, and the whole of Israel, trust you,” he said to the F-15 pilots, wishing them “much success.”
Israel’s F-15 fleet is the Air Force’s primary weapon for long-range strikes.
Also Thursday, CENTCOM chief Kurilla was expected to meet with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior IDF officials.
The Axios website, which first reported on Kurilla’s expected visit Wednesday, said that US and Israeli officials across various agencies have been in contact over the last few days as the countries prepare for a possible Iranian response to the April 1 strike.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel has asked the US to help limit the Iranian response by sending public and private warnings to Iran and also by using its military presence in the area as a diplomatic lever.
Meanwhile, Army Radio reported Thursday that the Israeli Air Force has recently practiced carrying out long-range strikes during exercises in Cypriot airspace and in coordination with the local military.
The exercise was intended to practice for a strike on Iran, the report said, without citing sources. It marked a return by the IAF to preparing for a confrontation with Iran after being tied up with operations amid the ongoing war with in the Gaza Strip, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre, and the resulting skirmishes on the northern border.
A senior IDF official was quoted as saying that the military “knows how and is ready to act in any arena while maintaining independent abilities to act on our own. We don’t rely on anyone.”
The reports came as US President Joe Biden reiterated America’s commitment to Israeli security in the face of threats from Iran.
Speaking at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in the White House’s Rose Garden, Biden told reporters Wednesday that “we also addressed the Iranian threat, as they threaten to launch a significant attack on Israel.”
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