Amid escalating tension in the Middle East, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has warned that Iran's attack on his country will be 'met with a response'.

He made the remarks while visiting Nevatim Airbase in Israel where four Iranian ballistic missiles hit on Saturday (April 13, 2024).

“Iran wanted to harm the strategic capabilities of the State of Israel — that is something that had not happened before. We were prepared for the ‘Iron Shield’ operation — preparation that brought Iran to also encounter aerial superiority,” he was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.

“We are looking ahead, we are considering our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” he added.

Israel's war cabinet meets

Meanwhile, Israel's war cabinet met on Monday (April 15, 2024) and discussed its response to Iran's attack.

However, details of the decision taken in the meeting have not been revealed so far.

Israel’s former ambassador to the UN Danny Danon has told the BBC that his country does not want “to start a full war” with Iran but would “find the smart way to act” in response to the drone and missile attack launched over the weekend.

What happened on Saturday night?

Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel as its proxies and allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions, media reports said.

Iran insisted it acted in “self-defence” after the targeting of its diplomatic mission in Damascus.

How Israel intercepted aerial threats?

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel that Iran launched more than 300 projectiles at Israel, comprising 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles, and that 99 percent of them had been intercepted by air defences.

“This is a very significant strategic achievement,” he earlier said in a press statement as quoted by the newspaper.

UN chief says Middle East are facing a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict

The people of the Middle East are facing a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict, António Guterres earlier said, urging “maximum restraint” across a region on the brink hours after Iran launched attack drones and missiles against Israel overnight Saturday.

“It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East...Now is the time for maximum restraint,” the UN Secretary-General told delegates at the opening of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Guterres explained that the emergency session was called by Israel following what it described in a letter as ‘a direct attack launched by Iran... of more than 200 UAVs, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles towards Israel in clear violation of international law.’

The UN chief added that in a separate letter, Iran stated that it had carried out a series of military strikes on Israeli military objectives ‘in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defence as outlined...in the UN Charter, and in response to...its armed attack on 1 April 2024 against Iranian diplomatic premises’ – in Damascus.