Iran’s supreme leader pledges ‘crushing response’; Pentagon bolsters Middle East presence

Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the United States with a “crushing response,” following recent attacks on Iran and its allies, in the latest signal that the months-long cycle of attack and counterattack between Israel and Iran could continue.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking at an event with students, said the United States and Israel “will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front.”

Iran and Israel have long waged a shadow war in the Middle East, but hostilities between the two countries have deepened since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

High-ranking Iranian officials have said Iran intends to respond to an Israeli strike last month that targeted its military sites, according to state media, but the details and timing of such a response are not clear.

A person close to Israeli leaders, who was briefed on the situation and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told The Washington Post that intelligence suggests “Iran is preparing an attack on Israel in coming days.”

Iranian officials have sought to downplay last week’s Israeli airstrikes on Iran, saying they caused little damage.

However, the strikes damaged two air defense installations and at least three sites associated with missile production, according to a Post analysis of satellite imagery.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that it is sending more U.S. ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East, which are expected to arrive in the coming months.

“Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people,” the Pentagon statement said.