TEHRAN, Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced Sunday that his country does not seek war but will defend its people and respond in a "proportionate" manner to the latest Israeli attack.

“We do not seek war, but we will defend our country and the rights of our people. We will give a proportionate response to the aggression by the Zionist regime,” Pezeshkian told a Cabinet meeting in Tehran, according to the official news agency IRNA.

“All people across the world are witnessing that the Israeli regime’s backers, at the top of them the US, claim to defend freedom and human rights, but remain silent on the killing of tens of thousands of women and children,” he added, referring to Israel's onslaught on Ghaza, which has killed nearly 43,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.

Meanwhile, the president directed officials to “identify and punish the perpetrators behind a Saturday terrorist attack that left 10 Iranian law enforcement personnel martyred in the city of Taftan, in Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province.”

Pezeshkian issued a warning that tensions "will escalate if the Zionist regime continues its aggression and crimes, saying that the US is provoking the regime into committing these crimes."

Israeli on Saturday said it had carried out a four-hour assault on Iran, with Tehran stating that it had successfully repelled “attempts by the Zionist entity to attack some points in Tehran and across the country.”

Iranian authorities announced Sunday that the death toll from the Israeli attack has risen to 5, including four soldiers and one civilian.

This attack followed Iran's launch of over 180 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, which Tehran described as “retaliation” for the assassinations of top leaders of Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Iran had previously warned that any Israeli attack would be met with a "harsher response."

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala