Iran threatens Israel with 'inferno,' vows to improve missile accuracy

Officials in Iran continued their anti-Israel rhetoric on Tuesday, threatening to improve the accuracy of their country's missiles and warning that Hamas and Hezbollah were prepared to unleash an "inferno" on the State of Israel.

Speaking at a conference on space technology, the secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying that "it has been an absolute disgrace for the Zionists when an Israeli minister was proved to be a spy, when there are hundreds of kilometers of tunnels dug underneath their feet, and when the resistance forces in Gaza and Lebanon have missiles with pinpoint accuracy and are ready to respond to any foolish Israeli behavior with an inferno."

He was referring to the conviction of former minister Gonen Segev of spying for Tehran, and to a recent operation in which the IDF uncovered and destroyed 6 Hezbholla subterranean passages penetrating into Israel from Lebanon.

Shamkhani also said Tehran has the capabilities to extend its missile range, but won't do so due to its defensive doctrine.

"Iran has no scientific or operational restriction for increasing the range of its military missiles, but based on its defensive doctrine, it is continuously working on increasing the precision of the missiles and has no intention to increase their range," he said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, Iran's Defense Minister Amir Hatami railed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign against Iran's missile program, which was among the reasons cited by US President Donald Trump in leaving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing crippling sanctions.

"The enemies say Iran's missile power should be eliminated, but we have repeatedly said our missile capabilities are not negotiable," Hatami said, according to Reuters.

Shamkhani also hit back at Washington's demand that Iran halt its satellite-launching project, vowing to continue it "to improve the quality of people's lives and increase the country's technological prowess."

The comments followed a series of reciprocal taunts by Israeli and Iranian leaders in recent weeks as tensions have risen between the two sides.

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Photos: Iran's Fateh-110 missiles; Sayyad 2 missile is fired by the Talash air defense system during drills in Iran; Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani in Tehran