Visiting Haifa base, Netanyahu warns Iran of Israel's long missile ranges

Comment comes day after Revolutionary Guard commander said Tehran would raze Haifa and Tel Aviv if the US attacks

Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Israel could target Iran-backed militias throughout the Middle East during a visit to a naval base Tuesday.

“Our missiles can travel very far, and confront any enemy, including the Iranian proxies in our region,” he said from the base in Haifa, a day after an top Iranian commander threatened to raze the city if the US attacked the Islamic Republic.

“We are constantly acting in accordance with our need to prevent Iran and its proxies from entrenching along our northern border, and in the wider region,” added Netanyahu, who is also defense minister.

Iranian proxies in the region include the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, several terror groups in Gaza, and Shiite militias in Iraq.

On Monday, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said at a rally marking the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that Iran would wipe out Haifa and Tel Aviv if the US launches an attack on the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu hit back hours later, saying that if Iran made the “terrible mistake” of attacking Israel, it “will be the last anniversary of their revolution they will ever celebrate.”

Monday also saw a reported Israeli tank shelling on the Quneitra region just over the Golan Heights border in Syria.

According to Syrian state media, Israeli shells targeted a hospital in Quneitra and an observation post in a nearby town, both of which lie in the demilitarized zone separating the countries.

The IDF did not comment on the report.

Netanyahu’s bureau published a picture of him on the base with officers despite a recent ruling by the attorney general that he could not use pictures with soldiers over concerns it could be used as election propaganda.