Iran threatens residents of Haifa and Tel Aviv with ‘punitive operations’

Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi urges residents of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent “punitive” attacks.

“Punitive operations will be carried out soon,” Mousavi says in a video statement carried by state TV on the fifth day of the deadly confrontation.

Referring to Israel, Mousavi said that “residents of the occupied territories, especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly urged to leave these areas for the sake of their lives.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier that they had launched an attack targeting Israeli air bases from which they claim fighter jets have taken off to strike the Islamic Republic.

“In the new wave of attacks, a large-scale missile operation was carried out against the air bases of the Zionist regime’s army, which are the bases from which the regime’s fighter jets take off towards our beloved country,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state TV.

Sirens were triggered earlier this evening across a wide swath of southern Israel, including Israeli airbases. The IDF says both ballistic missiles were intercepted.