Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has asked the Iranian military to prepare response scenarios to a potential Israeli attack, according to a Thursday New York Times report, citing four Iranian officials.
Iran's response to an Israeli strike would be contingent on the extent of Israel's attack, the officials, two of whom were from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed.
According to them, the Islamic Republic may choose not to respond if Israel reduces the scope of its strike to solely military warehouses and bases.
However, were the strike to cause major casualties and destruction, or were Israel to attack nuclear, oil, or energy infrastructure or carry out targeted eliminations, Iran would hit back, the officials noted.
Iran's response scenarios
In such a case, Iran's response scenario could include a potential barrage of up to 1,000 ballistic missiles, further attacks by Iranian proxies, and interference in energy supplies and shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's October 1 attack, which saw the Islamic Republic fire some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in what the IRGC said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Prior to October 1, Iran last attacked Israel on April 14, launching some 300 aerial threats at the Jewish State.