TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday warned of a “harsh and regretful” response to Saturday’s deadly Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities, local media reported after a series of tit-for-tat attacks by the two enemies.

Israeli warplanes carried out the strikes in what Israel said was retaliation for Tehran’s October 1 missile barrage, which Iran had in turn described as a reprisal for the killing of Iran-backed leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

Since the attacks on October 26, Israel has warned Iran against retaliating, while Tehran, stating it does not seek war, vowed to respond.

“The recent action of the Zionist regime in attacking parts of our country was a desperate move and the Islamic Republic of Iran will give it a harsh and regretful response,” said Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Iran says it will ‘use all available tools’ to respond to Israel’s attack

He praised Iran’s air defence performance in “preventing the entry of the Zionist regime fighters into the territory” and said damage from the strikes was “minimal.”

Golpayegani is an influential cleric acting as the head of the office of Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of the state.

After the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they “hit Iran’s defence capabilities and missile production”.

Iran’s armed forces said the attack killed four military personnel and caused “limited damage” to a few radar systems. Iranian media said a civilian was also killed.

Also on Thursday, General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran’s military, warned of an “unimaginable” response to Israel.

“Israel has reached the stage of collapse and these days it acts blindly and without abiding to any rules it commits every crime,” he added, according to Tasnim.