Iran hypes retaliation threat; US bolsters regional military presence

Iranian media and some officials have intensified rhetoric about retaliating against Israel for the Hamas leader’s killing in Tehran as the US bolsters its military presence in the region.

During a live broadcast on Tehran’s possible response on Friday night, an Iranian state TV anchor declared, “In the coming hours, the world will witness extraordinary scenes and significant developments.”

Nour News, a media outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, posted on its X social media account near midnight on Friday, using the hashtags #RevengeForGuest and #IsmailHaniyeh: “A punitive operation against the Israeli regime will be carried out at a determined time and manner.”

The X account of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has pinned a tweet that says, “The fall of the Zionist regime [Israel] is inevitable.”

This type of psychological warfare, prevalent in Iranian media since Haniyeh’s death, suggests there would be a significant response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday in Tehran, as well as the killing of Tehran-backed Hezbollah’s senior military commander, Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a day earlier.

Despite the absence of comprehensive or transparent reports from Iranian domestic media and official sources regarding the circumstances of Ismail Haniyeh’s death, there is a concerted effort to vociferously proclaim imminent retribution, asserting that an Iranian assault on Israel is inevitable within the coming hours and days.

The Iranian media, engaging in strategic ambiguity regarding the timing, emphasizes that the forthcoming action will surpass the previous offensive in scale and impact.

On April 13, Iran initiated a significant offensive, launching a barrage of over 300 missiles and drones at Israel, citing retaliation for Israel’s purportedly lethal strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.

While almost all these projectiles were intercepted and neutralized, hardline factions assert that this forthcoming assault will be markedly more severe.

On Saturday, Kayhan, the most hardline newspaper in Tehran, stated, “Iran has advanced significantly over the past five months, and the retribution against the Zionists will be more multifaceted, coordinated, and severe this time.”

The paper, funded by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reported that unlike Iran’s April operation against Israel, which targeted only a few bases outside Israeli cities, the upcoming operation would target areas deep inside Israel, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, strategic centers, and the residences of Israeli officials involved in killing Haniyeh. This assertion was made in Kayhan’s Saturday editorial, managed by Khamenei’s representative.

In Tehran’s imminent retaliatory operation against Israel, the article added, long-range and precision missiles and drones will be among the options. However, unlike the April attack on Israel, the possibilities will likely not be limited to two or three types of missiles and drones launched from miles away and only from Iran.

Kayhan emphasized that in the upcoming operation, the Islamic Republic’s military should consider “painful human casualties” in addition to causing strategic damage. According to Kayhan, Israeli ships traveling from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea will also be targeted with heavy attacks, presumably bu Iran’s Houthi proxies in Yemen, and Israel’s economic targets will not be immune to military strikes.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on Friday that the US military will deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved the deployment of additional Navy cruisers and destroyers, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, to both the Middle East and Europe. Furthermore, an additional squadron of fighter jets will be dispatched to the Middle East.

The Pentagon indicated plans to enhance readiness for deploying more land-based ballistic missile defenses. This strategic move follows intensified US military deployments before Iran’s April 13 attack on Israeli territory.

Analysts, however, caution that if Hezbollah joins forces with Iran, it could complicate interception efforts. The threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon, with its extensive arsenal and proximity to Israel, presents unique challenges for US efforts to intercept drones and missiles.