TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has responded to Israeli bluster against Iran, saying that Iran will strongly defend its interests.

“The fake Israeli regime foreign minister’s confused comments against the great Iranian people is an example of the famous Persian saying [that goes] “the camel dreams of cotton seeds, sometimes eating a mouthful, sometimes seed by seed” (the hungry cat dreams of mice),” Amir Abdollahian said on Twitter. 

He added, “We will forcefully and rationally defend the rights, interests and progress of the Iranian people. Zionism has no place in the future world.”

The tweet came in response to hostile remarks by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid who said that Tel Aviv could take military action against Iran without informing the Biden administration. 

In an interview aired Friday, Lapid reiterated a longtime Israeli bluster that Tel Aviv would attack Iran if need be. 

“Israel has capabilities, some of which the world, and even some experts in the field, cannot even imagine. And Israel will protect itself against the Iranian threat,” he told Channel 12 news, according to the Times of Israel. 

He also pointed out that Israel could attack Iran without prior notice to Washington.

“Israel will do whatever it needs to do to protect its security. And we don’t need anybody’s permission for that,” he said. 

Israeli officials have unleashed a campaign of military threats against Iran in recent weeks. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said that he ordered the Israeli army to prepare for a military attack on Iran. Other Israeli intelligence, political and military officials have echoed the same threat. Of late, an Iranian security official has told Nour News, a media outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that relative progress made in the Vienna talks could reinforce Israel’s motivation to make “malicious moves.”

In a bid to deter Israel, Iran also held a massive military drill recently. Iran’s latest military drill showed what Israel would face if it dared to attack Iran. The drill also was indicative of the gravity of the situation. Iran has said Israel won’t dare to attack. But at the same time, Iranian military leaders highlighted their combat readiness to respond to any hostile move by Israel. During the drill, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), practiced how to target Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant.

The IRGC simultaneously launched 16 ballistic missiles of various types that hit a mock sensitive target with 100-percent precision. Perhaps, this was the most remarkable part of the drill as Iran’s state-run TV showed the missiles roaring up into the sky and then raining down on a mock target very much resembling Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant which is thought to harbor Israeli nukes. The target was totally razed to the ground after it was hit with the missiles, possibly creating a scene of how the real Dimona would look like in case there was an Israeli attack against Iran.