‘Whoever hurts us, we hurt them’: Netanyahu gears up for war with Iran vowing to strengthen ‘both defence and attack’ as Russia calls for both sides to show restraint

Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stark warning to Iran as he vowed to strengthen Israel’s ‘defence and attack’ capabilities – telling troops today ‘whoever hurts us, we hurt him’.

Israel’s Prime Minister said that as well as his country being in the midst of the war in Gaza, which he said is ‘continuing in full force’, it is ‘also preparing for scenarios of challenges in other arenas.’

Israel has been bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the killing of a senior general and six other Iranian officers in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. 

While it has not claimed responsibility, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel ‘must be punished and it shall be’ for the attack.

Russia and Germany have now urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint – amid fears that tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes could spiral into a full-scale conflict.

The attack by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent, Bloomberg News reported citing intelligence sources, with one source saying it is more a matter of when, not if. 

Netanyahu made his comments as Israeli troops and warplanes started an operation in central Gaza overnight which the military said was aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure.

Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the eruption of the Gaza war, with Iran declaring support for the groups waging attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. 

Tehran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the United States, while declaring support for its allies. 

In an apparent attempt to reassure Israelis, Netanyahu told soldiers: ‘We are preparing to meet the security needs of the State of Israel, both in defence and in attack. I and the people of Israel trust you. And may we all have great success.’ 

As tensions continue to simmer in the region, German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital and Russia warned against travel to the Middle East.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian to urge ‘maximum restraint’ to avoid further escalation.

Russia’s foreign ministry told citizens they should not travel to the Middle East, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

‘Right now it’s very important for everyone to maintain restraint so as not to lead to a complete destabilisation of the situation in the region, which doesn’t exactly shine with stability and predictability,’ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a news briefing. 

Tehran has repeatedly warned it will retaliate for the strike in Syria, with its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying in a speech Wednesday that attacking an embassy ‘means that they have attacked our soil.’

‘The evil regime made a mistake and it should be punished and will be punished,’ he added, according to IRNA, the state news agency.

Iran’s main proxy group is Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon and has been trading fire with Israeli forces almost daily since the war in Gaza erupted in October. 

There are fears an open war between Israel and Iran could spiral into a much broader conflict, with Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz declaring on X: ‘If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran.’

It comes after President Joe Biden vowed that American support for Israel is ‘ironclad’ amid concerns the country will be targeted by major missile or drone strikes by Iran.

‘As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again: ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel security,’ Biden said at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. 

Most Israeli troops have been pulled out of Gaza, in preparation for an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which the US has urged caution over.

More than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering in the city, around half of the enclave’s population, but fighting has continued in various areas of the enclave. 

‘It was as if the occupation army was launching a new war,’ Raouf Abed, 20, said via chat app from in Deir Al-Balah to the south of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp. 

‘The explosions were non-stop, the sounds came from different directions,’ he said.

‘Every time we hope there will be a ceasefire, Israel escalates the aggression, as if they are trying to pressure Hamas by hitting on us, the civilians,’ he said.