Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed his forces to prepare a direct attack against Israel after it was deemed hostile to the Jewish nation. retaliatory strike last week It’s too big to ignore, according to a new report.

While Khamenei tries to belittle public opinion The extent of Israel’s attack In a meeting with the Supreme National Security Council, he gave the green light to counter-attack plans specifically on Tehran’s military facilities. three Iranian officials told the New York Times.

The Ayatollah allegedly made his decision on Monday after military officials reviewed the damage report, which detailed attacks on Tehran’s missile production facilities and defense systems.

Three officials said that Khamenei told his generals that the attack in which four Iranian soldiers lost their lives could not remain unanswered, and that failure to respond would mean accepting Israel’s defeat.

According to Iranian media, Deputy Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Ali Fadavi, said, “Iran’s reaction to the Zionist aggression is definitive.”

“We have not left any attack unanswered for 40 years. “We have the capacity to destroy everything the Zionists have with a single operation,” he said.

Last Friday, Israel carried out a 4-hour operation consisting of 100 jets, spy planes and refueling planes. Biggest attack ever on IranBombing military facilities linked to the Islamic Republic’s own ballistic missile attacks on the Jewish state.

The tit-for-tat cycle has increased fears that an all-out war in the Middle East between Israel and Iran and its terrorist proxies is inevitable.

The attacks have so far targeted military facilities, but Iran has previously warned that it will do everything to ensure the safety of its people.

Despite the warning, three officials told the Times that Iran’s response would be directed at dozens of military targets inside Israel.

But repeated exchanges of fire may not benefit Tehran, given that Israel has strengthened its defenses since the last attack on October 1, including the delivery of an American soldier. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

But Iran is poised to take more damage after Israel issued a warning to Tehran not to retaliate after several missile defense systems were destroyed in last week’s attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of Thursday’s attack: “Boastful speeches by the leaders of the Iranian regime cannot hide or compensate for the fact that Israel now has more freedom to operate in Iran than ever before.”