By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN/DOHA (Worthy News) – Iran’s president warned Israel on Wednesday that his Islamic Republic will have an even “stronger response” if Israel retaliates to its missile attack on Tuesday.
Masoud Pezeshkian made the threat in Doha, Qatar, where he met Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who also criticized Israel’s actions.
“If [Israel] wants to react, we will have a stronger response; this is what the Islamic Republic is committed to,” Pezeshkian told reporters alongside Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
He spoke a day after Iran fired around 200 missiles toward Israel, although Israeli military sources said most were intercepted.
At the same press conference, Sheikh Tamim accused Israel of drawing the region to the “brink of the abyss” in attacking southern Lebanon.
He did not mention Tehran’s uttered ambition to destroy Israel and the recent bloodshed committed by Iran’s proxies such as Hamas, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.
He also condemned Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying that Qatar would continue working to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
The controversy comes at a time when Qatar has been hosting Hamas leaders despite the group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggering a war in Gaza.
Pezeshkian made clear he is pleased that Qatar shares Tehran’s concern about Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
“We are not looking for war; it is Israel that forces us to react,” Pezeshkian said.
“We also want security and peace. It was Israel that assassinated [Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh] in Tehran,” he recalled. He accused Israel of aiming to “cause insecurity and spread crisis in the region.
Referring to Israel, Pezeshkian said, “We want from the U.S. and European countries to tell the entity they have planted in the region to stop the bloodshed.”
NETANYAHU RESPONDS
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Tehran and the groups it supports that “anyone who strikes the State of Israel will face severe consequences.”
Israeli sources say Israel may target Iran’s leadership as well as the country’s nuclear sites and other strategic assets. Netanyahu also stressed that Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack had “failed” as Israel’s air defense system “is the most advanced in the world,” although medics cautioned there were several people with shrapnel injuries.
TELEGRAM BANNED?
Qatar, known for hosting broadcaster Al Jazeera, appears to censor the Worthy News channel on the social media platform Telegram, a Christian source told Worthy News from Doha.
The source had been trying to read Worthy News coverage about the ongoing Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon.
Her name was not revealed amid security concerns.
However, Worthy News established that the website can still be reached at Doha’s international airport.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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