"Israel's response won't be confined to Gaza Strip," says former IDF spokesperson

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 7 (ANI): Describing the Hamas rocket attack as a "severe day", former spokesperson of Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that Israel's response will be of an unprecedented magnitude and won't just be "confined to Gaza Strip".
He has also accused Iran of "funding and facilitating" the Hamas attack on Israel, emphasizing that this is not a routine incident, and Israel's response has to be "different".
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Conricus said, "This is a very severe day in Israel. An unprecedented and unprovoked attack against Israeli civilians by hundreds of Hamas terrorists from Gaza into Israel. They have been butchering, executing and abducting Israeli civilians from their homes. We have reports of Israeli civilians being held in Gaza, and there are also many other unconfirmed reports of Israeli casualties".
He went on to mention that over 1,000 rockets have already been fired, targeting 80 per cent of populated areas in Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
"More than 1,000 rockets have already fired at 80 per cent of populated Israel, including our capital Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. And as we speak, Israel has started its very first stage of retaliating against military targets belonging to Hamas in Gaza," he added.
He further asserted that this time Israel will "expand the response" and not confine it only to the Gaza Strip.
"I think that the Israeli response will be at a level not seen before, not by Hamas, and not by any of the other Iranian proxies. I wouldn't rule out that this time, Israel will expand the response and not confine it only to the current area of operations, which is the Gaza Strip, but that we may see attacks or retaliations by Israel that are not confined by the geographical area of operations," Conricus added.
Taking his accusations further, the former IDF spokesperson alleged that the attack by Hamas was "funded and provided" by Iran.
"This attack by Hamas, which is funded and provided by Iran with its weapons and personnel, equipment and money, is definitely one bridge too far, one attack too many...We still don't have confirmed information about the scope of the attacks, but we only know that it is unprecedented and severe, Conricus said.
He added, "Once this happens by an Iranian proxy, then this isn't a routine event. This isn't something that we can respond with how we usually respond by attacking military targets from the air inside the Gaza Strip. We are talking about a whole different situation, and the Israeli response will have to be different".
According to the latest development, at least 22 people have been killed and around 300 people were wounded in the attack and over 70 people were seriously injured.
This comes after a barrage of rockets slammed into southern and central Israel on Saturday morning, after Hamas launched a surprise attack.
Israel has already declared a state of war in the country after infiltration by Hamas fighters and missile attacks from Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces launched Operation 'Iron Swords' in response to Hamas's surprise attack on Israel, the Times of Israel reported. IDF is striking Hamas targets in Gaza.(ANI)