Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that Iran was ready to respond to any military moves taken against it by Israel.

His comments came during a military parade in Tehran, broadcast by state TV channel IRIB.

"At the slightest step by Israel, the center of the Zionist regime will become a target of our armed forces," Raisi said.

War of words

Raisi also said Iran is "closely" watching every move by Israel and claimed its military is a deterrent. Tehran has accused Israel of sabotaging its nuclear program which it claims is only for civilian purposes.

Israel is concerned about Iran's alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons and has railed against the US returning to the Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.

In recent years, Iran has also been angered by several Arab states naturalizing diplomatic relations with Israel. 

Tehran has not recognized Israeli sovereignty since the 1979 revolution that kicked out the US-backed Sshah. Since then, it has supported armed militant groups within the occupied Palestinian Territories and in neighboring Syria and Lebanon.

The current president's threats share similarities with former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's pledge to "exterminate" Israel. Both men are seen as hard-liners.

Ahmedinejad's time in office, between 2005 and 2013, marked a particularly tense moment in Israeli-Iranian relations.

Trouble in Jerusalem

The message from Tehran comes as Israel faces rising tensions  during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The flashpoint is, once again, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. After violence broke out last week, Israeli security forces launched a clampdown against Palestinian protesters. In response,  Arab Ra'am party withdraw from the governing coalition — although only for two weeks while the parliament is on recess.

Last year, a conflict that broke out at the end of Ramadan between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, claiming the lives of hundreds of Gazans as well as of 12 Israeli civilians.

ab/dj (AP, dpa)