Hours after shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile, which had been fired at Jordan, ultimately landed in Israel just north of Eilat, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir threatened the Islamic Republic with a potential harsh counterstrike if the regime gets any closer to the Jewish state.
Speaking to IDF commanders in the West Bank, he said, "next to the continuous fighting against terror in Judea and Samaria, we are closely following the developments with Iran and maintaining a high level of readiness."
"We followed the attack on the area around Aqaba [Jordan] today, and our air defense apparatus is ready to defend the citizens of Israel," added Zamir. "We are ready to immediately return to war, and we will act with great power against anyone who harms us."
IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post that the Sunday attack had finally shifted the IDF close to war footing after weeks when Israel has felt outside of the primarily US-Iran conflict.
Earlier on Sunday afternoon, the IDF's Iron Dome was used to shoot down fragments of an Iranian ballistic missile fired at Jordan near the border with Israel after the US Aegis anti-missile system had already been used to shoot down the primary missile warhead.
As a result, interceptor fragments fell in an open area near, but not in, Eilat, and there were no casualties or damage caused, the IDF confirmed.
Until now, despite the ongoing lower-grade aerial exchanges between the US and Arab allies on one side, versus Iran on the other side, no aerial threats from the Islamic Republic had come near Israel in over three months.
No immediate sign of counterattack
Even this latest move was clearly aimed at Jordan, and not Israel, and there was no immediate sign that Jerusalem would respond with a counterattack.
However, minutes before the interception, the IDF issued a warning to southern areas near the border with Jordan that residents in that area should be ready to enter safe areas should fragments fall in Israel.
Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.