TEHERAN - Precisely one month ago, in the wee hours of June 13, Israel launched major surprise airstrikes on several areas in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
One month after the attack, which triggered a 12-day war between the two countries, Iranian experts and politicians maintain that although it is unlikely that Israel would launch another attack against Iran soon, Teheran should enhance its readiness for any scenario that may unfold.
Speaking in a recent televised interview, Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned that "it is possible that Israel ... would decide to come back," stressing that Iran should always be ready.
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In a recent interview with the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Hossein Kanani Moghaddam, an Iranian expert on West Asia issues and secretary-general of the Green Party, warned against any negligence, noting, "We should always be ready to defend the country and maintain our preparedness to confront the foe."
He highlighted the necessity to strengthen the country's passive defense in the face of surprise operations by Israel and the United States, saying the war, in which Iran was engaged, was a hybrid one featuring the employment of offensive, cyber, security, military, economic and sanction systems by Israel and the United States as well as the US NATO allies.
Kanani Moghaddam highlighted the importance of ensuring Iran's intelligence and anti-espionage agencies are well-equipped and focused on countering the "enemy."
He also stressed the necessity of establishing an independent intelligence and security organization dedicated to addressing threats from Israel.
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Iran's deterrence power should be so tremendous that it makes Israel believe any "aggression" against the country would cost it heavily, he added.
In another interview with ILNA, Ali-Asghar Zargar, an international relations expert, said that while the current ceasefire between Iran and Israel could be sustainable, Iran should take swift actions to strengthen its air defense and military might.
Iranian lawmaker and former foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, also told the official news agency IRNA in a recent interview that "all of us, especially the Iranian armed forces, should be ready for a likely Israeli attack."
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Iran's military figures have been warning that should Israel seek to violate the ceasefire, Iran's response would be "crushing."
In remarks to Defa Press, a news outlet affiliated with the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, spokesman of the Iranian armed forces Abolfazl Shekarchi said the country's response to a likely Israeli attack would be "firm, serious, crushing, effective and regret-inducing," emphasizing that the Iranian armed forces' preparedness was at a high level.