President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran has said that the country’s missile strike on Israel was in defense of Iran’s interests and citizens.

Pezeshkian warned on X saying that the operation on Tuesday was “only a portion of our power.”

“This action was in defense of the interests and citizens of Iran. To let (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu know that Iran is not belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat,” he wrote. “Do not enter into a conflict with Iran.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also in a message posted on X warned in Hebrew that the “blows” against Israel would become “stronger and more painful.”

“With God’s help, the blows of the uprising front will become stronger and more painful on the worn and rotting body of the Zionist regime,” he said.

Media reported that the barrage comes after Israel launched a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.

The Israeli military operation targets the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Recall that Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike last Friday, decimating Hezbollah’s leadership.