21 Sep 2021; MEMO: Iranian Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, yesterday warned Israel against committing any "foolish act" against the Islamic Republic, saying "the Iranian people will respond forcefully" to any aggression against them.
Responding to recent Israeli threats against Tehran, General Ashtiani said: "The Iranian people, without a doubt, will respond forcefully to any foolish act by the enemy", adding that the Islamic Republic's enemies "will pay a heavy price for any aggression."
"Tehran has repeatedly announced that the defence capabilities of the Iranian people and the progress they have achieved in the technical and scientific fields are used to defend the Islamic Republic's borders and sovereignty, and to respond to any possible threat or aggression."
"Satanic hands and regimes associated with empty forces resort to accusations when they find themselves helpless and failing," Ashtiani said, stressing that "the Zionist entity [Israel], which has always suffered major defeats at the hands of the Iranian people, has only been able to pour out its hatred and anger on children and women."
Ashtiani added that Iran will continue to develop its defensive and military might.
A report by the New York Times recently revealed that Israel assassinated Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last November using a remote-controlled machine gun and artificial intelligence.