Iran’s Raisi tells Qatar’s emir that any Israeli action will be met with ‘severe, extensive’ response

Any action by Israel or its allies that is deemed to be against Iran’s interests will be met with a “severe, extensive and painful response,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi tells Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in a call a day after Israel said it will response to Tehran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack over the weekend.

The state-run Iranian Students News Agency reports that the call between the two focused on the war in Gaza, as well as the April 1 strike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus — which Tehran has blamed on Jerusalem — and the subsequent Iranian attack on Israel.

Israel’s alleged strike in Damascus was a “sign of desperation” as a result of its “failure to achieve its goals in attacking Gaza,” Raisi is quoted as having told al-Thani, claiming that as a result, the retaliatory attack on Israel was a “legitimate” act of defense.

Al-Thani, in response, noted the “high mutual trust” shared by the two countries and pledged that Qatar remains supportive of Iran and the Palestinian cause in all circumstances, ISNA reports, claiming al-Thani told Raisi that “the Zionist regime is trying to divert the world’s public opinion from its crimes in Gaza by making the situation tense.”

Qatar forcefully denies the Iran state-run news agency report of its emir’s comments about Gaza, with a senior Qatari official telling The Times of Israel that he never made such comments during the call with Raisi.

“Contrary to the interpretations suggested, the main focus of his highness’s message was an earnest appeal for de-escalation and the promotion of peace in the region,” the official says.