Iran to determine how to respond after Israel's attack: Khamenei

Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel after the Israeli attack on Iran on Saturday, Iran's official IRNA news agency cited the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.

"The evil committed by (Israel) two nights ago should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated", he added.

Iran on Saturday played down Israel's overnight air attack against Iranian military targets, saying it caused only limited damage.

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Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel's military said.

Khamenei said Iran's power should be demonstrated to Israel, adding that the way to do so should be "determined by the officials and that which is in the best interest of the people and the country should take place".

Calls for de-escalation

The attack, which Israel says was in retaliation for Iran's missile attack on it earlier this month, drew calls of de-escalation from many world leaders.

US President Joe Biden called for a halt to escalation that has raised fears of an all-out conflagration in the Middle East.

The UAE has strictly condemned the military targeting of Iran, expressing "deep concern" over the continuation of escalation and its consequences on regional security and stability.

The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed "the importance of exercising utmost self-restraint" to mitigate risks and prevent the expansion of the scale of conflict.

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