Iranian Foreign Minister warns: "Israeli citizens should avoid areas near military and intelligence facilities"

JH Kim

Summary

The Iranian Foreign Minister conveyed a warning to Israeli citizens to maintain distance from areas near military and intelligence facilities.
Iran stated that its precision strikes targeted key objectives such as Israel's military command and intelligence headquarters, resulting in physical damage.
Minister Araghchi warned of further retaliation should Israel's attacks continue, and stated that the meeting with Europe is intended to probe the potential for substantive negotiations.

According to CNN on the 19th (local time), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned, "Israeli citizens should keep their distance from areas near military and intelligence facilities."

He stated via X (formerly Twitter), "The Iranian military has precisely targeted Israel's command, control, and intelligence headquarters, as well as other key objectives," adding, "Due to the shockwave from the attack, Soroka Medical Center, where wounded Israeli soldiers from Gaza were receiving treatment, suffered partial damage."

While Israel criticized the attack as targeting the hospital directly, Iran maintained that it had aimed at a military command post near the hospital.

Minister Araghchi further stated, "Since last week, when Israel launched an illegal war against Iranian nationals, hundreds of innocent Iranians have been brutally massacred," and warned, "Our powerful armed forces will continue to retaliate until the criminals targeting our people cease and pay the price."

Meanwhile, he is scheduled to visit Geneva, Switzerland on the 20th (local time) for talks with European diplomatic officials, with CNN reporting that the talks are 'exploratory in nature, aimed at assessing the potential for substantive negotiations.'