Dubai: There has been a long-running war between Iran and Israel.  After the air strike on Iran, Israel is now afraid of retaliation. Israeli news outlet Jerusalem Post has quoted country security sources as saying that Israel expects Iran to retaliate against the Jewish state after a successful attack on military bases including missile production facilities.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghei said on Monday that Tehran would use all available means to respond to Israel's attack on military sites in Iran over the weekend.

Iran on Saturday downplayed Israeli air strikes, saying they caused only limited damage, while US President Joe Biden called for a halt to the escalation of tensions that has raised fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

"(Iran) will use all available means to give the Zionist regime (Israel) a firm and effective response," Baghei said in a weekly televised news conference. The nature of Iran's response depends on the nature of the Israeli attack, Baghei said, without elaborating.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel. He said the Israeli attack should neither be underestimated nor exaggerated.

Dozens of Israeli jets carried out three series of strikes before dawn on Saturday against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, the Israeli military said.

The two heavily armed arch-enemies have been carrying out counter-attacks against each other for several months, with Saturday's attack coming after Iran launched a missile attack on October 1, most of which Israel said were shot down by its air defences.

Iran supports Hezbollah, which is engaged in fierce fighting with Israeli forces in Lebanon, and also backs the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Khamenei has threatened

"They don't know Iran. They still don't understand the power, initiative and determination of the Iranian people. We have to explain these things to them," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in a post.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country's air force struck Iranian missile targets on Saturday morning. He said the attack was precise and powerful and hit all its targets.