Iran on Monday praised the drone and missile assault by Hezbollah on Israel, even though Israel made clear that the attack had failed, AFP reported.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday claimed that the group had launched a large-scale attack on Israel, targeting "the Glilot base - the main Israeli military intelligence base".
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari later made clear, however, that Israel’s preemptive strike prevented a major attack on Israel by Hezbollah.
"This morning, we thwarted a large-scale attack by the Hezbollah terrorist organization targeting northern communities and locations in central Israel. We monitored Hezbollah for weeks using technological means and aerial patrols by Israeli Air Force aircraft. As soon as we identified Hezbollah's intention to carry out the attack, we thwarted the majority of the attack. Hezbollah attempted to severely harm the north and center of Israel, but was met with an iron fist," Hagari stated.
Nevertheless, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, wrote on social media site X on Monday,
"The Zionist regime may be able to hide, distort or censor some facts regarding Lebanese Hezbollah operations, but it knows very well that the existing facts will not change."
"The Israeli terrorist army has lost its effective offensive and deterrent power and now must defend itself against strategic strikes," he added.
Kanani noted that the Hezbollah attack "extended deep into the occupied territories", and said the "strategic balance has undergone fundamental changes" to the detriment of Israel.
He also criticized the United States for its "comprehensive" support for Israel, which had failed to "predict the time and place" of Hezbollah's actions.
The IDF stated on Monday that during the preemptive strike early Sunday morning, about 230 launches and 20 aerial targets were identified crossing into Israeli territory.
"The Hezbollah terrorist organization places its terrorist infrastructure in the middle of the civilian population while using Lebanese civilians as human shields. 90% of the launches were from the heart of a civilian area, near civilian facilities such as mosques, schools, UN sites, etc," the IDF stated.