Iranian Military Official Hints Strike on Israel May Be Delayed

A senior Iranian military official said on Tuesday that retaliation against Israel over the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran may be long in coming and take any number of forms, suggesting that an attack against Israel may have been placed on hold.

The comments came from Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, the spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the branch of the armed forces that would lead such an attack and that is responsible for securing Iran’s borders.

“Time is on our side, and it’s possible that the wait period for the response could take a long time,” General Naeini said at a news conference in Tehran, according to video footage on state media. “It’s possible that Iran’s response will not be a repeat of previous operations. The quality of the response, scenarios and tools are not always the same.”

While General Naeini did not elaborate on what options Iran is considering, his reference to “previous operations” appeared to mean the Iranian strike on Israel in April, when Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones against its longtime adversary. That attack was done in retaliation for an Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, that killed several senior Iranian military commanders.

General Naeini’s comments suggested that the regional war widely feared should Iran strike Israel again might be averted, at least for the moment.

Since the late July assassination of the Hamas leader on Iranian soil — for which Israel has not acknowledged responsibility — international leaders have been alarmed l as Iranian officials pledged to avenge his death. Complicating matters, Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon were also vowing to attack Israel, in their case over the killing in Beirut of one their top commanders shortly before the Tehran assassination.