Iran's president vows 'fitting response' to Israeli attack

TEHRAN - Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the country will give a "fitting response" to Israel's "aggression" against its soil.

He made the remarks at a cabinet meeting in Tehran while reacting to Israel's attack early Saturday against certain military targets in Iran, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

"We do not want war but will defend the rights of our people and country. We will give a fitting response to Israel's aggression," Pezeshkian said, blaming "Israel's supporters, with the United States above all", for remaining silent in the face of "Israel's killing of tens of thousands of women and children".

The Iranian president added that "if Israel's aggressions and crimes continue, the tension will expand" in the West Asia region, stressing, "We know the United States is provoking Israel to create these disasters."

"They had promised to end the war if we exercised restraint, but they did not keep their promise," he said.

Pezeshkian also extended condolences for the deaths of four of the Iranian army's air defense forces in the Israeli attack.

In remarks at a session of the Iranian Parliament earlier in the day, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the legislative body's speaker, also vowed that Iran's response to Israel's act of aggression would be "definite".

The Israel Defense Forces said early Saturday that it launched "precise and targeted" airstrikes on targets in several areas in Iran.

Iran's air defense headquarters said it had successfully countered the Israeli attack, which inflicted "limited damage".