Iran's president again warns Israel against counterattack

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has once again warned Israel against mounting a military counterattack following Iran's recent air assault on Israel.

During a telephone call with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Raisi warned that "the slightest action" by Israel against Iran's national interests "will have extensive and painful consequences." Details of the call were published on the web portal of Iran's presidential office.

Iran has recently warned Israel several times of a military response to its large-scale attack, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were fired towards Israel on Saturday night.

The Iranian response to any further Israeli action would be "at least 10 times more drastic" than the first attack, the country's Security Council said in a press release.

So far, Iran has chosen the least severe form of punishment for Israel, the Council said in its press statement. Israel's military leadership has said that Israel does not intend to leave Saturday's large-scale Iranian attack unanswered.