In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mohammad Reza Sobouri said Iran was not the instigator of the conflict, but rather responded to a deliberate and unlawful aggression.
Iran's armed forces launched an unprecedented large-scale missile and drone strike against Israeli military targets deep in the occupied territories over the weekend in retaliation for an attack on its diplomatic premises in Syria early this month.
The Israeli regime's war cabinet has convened several times since the Saturday night operation to weigh a possible response.
Sobouri said Iran has shown restraint in the face of acts of aggression by Israel in the past, but "we realized that this restraint was being misinterpreted and might even encourage Israelis to continue their attacks".
As such, the ambassador noted, a proportionate response was deemed necessary after the attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the death of two senior military commanders and five other officers.
Commenting on the possibility of a counterattack by Israel, Sabouri said "nothing is impossible when it comes to the Zionist regime".
"They have proven that they do not respect any moral, human, or international principles," he added.
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