Iran’s air force threatened to bomb Israel if it attacks Iranian nuclear facilities.
“We have drawn up a plan so that in the event of foolishness by this regime, Iran’s bombers can retaliate by attacking Israel’s soil,” Mohammed Alavi, deputy commander for Iranian air force operations, told Tehran’s Fars News Agency on Wednesday.
Israel, like the United States, has hinted it could resort to pre-emptive strikes if diplomatic pressure fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear program. Alavi played down Israel’s capabilities.
“Israel’s talk of an air attack is just a psychological war, since we reject the regime’s ability to mount an air attack on Iran,” he said. “Israel is not an entity that can pose a serious threat to Iran because it does not have the real ability.”
While Israeli experts consider Iranian missiles a major threat, there is less respect for Iran’s largely antiquated air force.
Alavi’s remarks coincided with Iran’s announcement that it was testing a new kind of locally made fighter jet known as Sa’ikeh.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
