Israel has neutralised Iran's air defence: Envoy

Noting that Israel is not interested in escalation of situation in the Middle East, country's Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Saturday that Israel defence forces attacked military targets in Iran 'in a very precise way' and that 'there is a price to pay when you attack the state of Israel'.

IMAGE: An Israeli Air Force plane that were deployed to carry out strikes on Iran. Photograph: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via Reuters

In an interview with ANI, Azar also said that Israel is always ready for a ceasefire and wants the Hamas to lay down the weapons and release the hostages.

"Israel attacked military targets in Iran in a very precise way. We have neutralised the air defence system of Iran and we have destroyed missile capabilities, missile factories and other air capabilities that the Iranians have. Iran is now completely exposed. We have shown very clearly that there is a price to pay when you attack the state of Israel... Iran knows now very well that if it continues attacking Israel, any target in Iran is reachable," he said.

"Probably Iran is not going to retaliate more, because if it does choose to retaliate again or counterattack Israel, the results will be much worse. So this is our clear message. If you stop attacking us, we will refrain from attacking you. We will continue defending ourselves, both against Hamas, Hezbollah, against any terrorists anywhere in the world, including inside Iran. But we are not interested in a regional escalation," he added.

Answering queries on the war with Hamas, he said Israel is ready to accommodate the exit of Hamas from Gaza.

"Israel is always ready for a ceasefire. We want the Hamas to lay down the weapons and release the hostages. We are ready to accommodate their exit from the Gaza Strip. We want to create a mechanism in the North by which the Security Council resolutions can be implemented... If we get those assurances then, no doubt, we can re-establish stability in the region," he said.

"We are very encouraged by the fact that India has supported our right for self defence. When you look at what Israel is doing, it goes without saying it's beyond doubt that Israel is not trying to escalate the conflict at the time that Iran is trying to escalate. I think here the interests of India and Israel coincide," he added.

Azar said Israel's response has been 'very responsible' and the United States has been supportive of its stance.

He said Israel will react to any action against it.

"We stay confined to the targets that our cabinet has approved. That means that we will not allow any diversion from it. Whoever attacks us is going to be attacked by Israel. So Hezbollah can try to continue attacking Israel. We have shown that we have the capabilities to actually damage their aggression capabilities in a very, very significant way. We're going to continue doing that until we are able in the north to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and bring our residents back to their homes safely," he said.

Israel Consul General Kobbi Shoshani also said that his country has been standing against 'the terror attacks from Iran and its proxies' and has 'precisely targeted military bases' in Iran.

He also asserted that Israel can reach any place in the Middle East 'in a very massive way'.