Tehran not seeking to continue "defensive operation" against Israel: FM

TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday that Iran, at this moment, no longer sought to continue its retaliatory military operation against Israel.

He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while elaborating on the missile and drone strikes launched by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) against targets in Israel in response to the deadly Israeli attack on April 1 on the consular sections of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders.

Amir-Abdollahian said, "Iran at this moment no more seeks to continue its defensive operations, but if necessary, it will not hesitate in protecting its legitimate interests against any new aggression."

Exercising its right to self-defense is indicative of Iran's responsible approach toward regional and international peace and security, the foreign minister added.

The IRGC said in two separate statements early Sunday that it had launched "tens of missiles and drones" and "successfully hit and destroyed" important military targets belonging to the Israeli army in response to "numerous Israeli crimes."

The IRGC also warned that any threat by the United States and Israel from any country would receive a reciprocal and proportionate response from Iran. ■