Israel Prepares Budget To Attack Iran, Tehran: Zionists Must Prepare Tens Of Thousands Of Billions Dollars For Repairs

Illustration of Iranian missile. (Wikimedia Commons/Hawijpolo)

JAKARTA - Last week, Israeli media reported that the government had approved a budget of 5 billion shekels, or about 1.5 billion US dollars, to prepare for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran responded to this by threatening Israel back.

Tel Aviv has repeatedly accused Tehran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, although Tehran authorities have vocally denied the claims. In posts on social media, Iranian officials warned Israel with a counter-threat.

Israel will be made to pay a huge economic price if it dares to attack Iran, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has warned.

"Instead of allocating the United States 1.5 billion budget for atrocities against Iran, the Zionist regime should focus on providing tens of thousands of billions of dollars to repair the damage that Iran's shocking response will cause," Shamkhani wrote in a post on Twitter yesterday, citing Sputnik. News October 25.

Shamkhani posted the message in Persian, Hebrew, English and Arabic, presumably to ensure that the warning reaches its intended audience. The official did not elaborate on the form of Iran's hypothetical response to Israel's hypothetical aggression.

Iran is known to have ballistic missiles and conventional cruise missiles that have a wide range, capable of hitting targets in Israel. Tehran also has a number of coalitions close to Israel that it can rely on, including the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Syrian government it has assisted.

Shamkhani's warning came after reports in Israeli media last week that the country's authorities had approved funding for preparations to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, including everything from intelligence-gathering aircraft and drones, to special weaponry for attacks on heavily fortified underground facilities.

The funds are reportedly part of a $17.5 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2022 that was approved this summer.

Last Tuesday, Israel's Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman warned he believed conflict with Iran was inevitable, suggesting a preemptive strike was the only way to stop the country from building a nuclear bomb.

Separately, earlier this month US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterpart Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid every option remains on the table regarding Iran's nuclear program, if the 2015 Nuclear Deal cannot be salvaged.

To note, if there are no obstacles, Iran and the United States will continue talks on restoring the 2015 Nuclear Deal in Vienna, Austria next month.