The Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force, Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari reaffirmed, on Wednesday, that the Iranian military remained highly prepared to give a "crushing response" in the face of any kind of threat that might arise.

"Today, the Army stands at the highest level of combat readiness and defense capability, and any threat posed by the enemies will be met with a crushing response," Heidari said in a briefing that included a number of commanders and staff members of the Army's Ground Force in Khuzestan Province.

Heidari asserted that the Army's Ground Force is guarding the nation with cutting-edge equipment and weaponry, particularly along its border regions, and is prepared to deal decisively with adversaries should they err.

He underlined that strengthening the force's intelligence command is an objective of the Army and Ground Force's deployment to border regions.

Heidari further noted, pointing to continuing political developments in the region, that "global arrogance could not accept that the Islamic Republic of Iran has introduced a new narrative to the world."

The senior commander stated that "global arrogance has been receding" regionally, and on the wane as a result of Iran's growing influence.

Heidari also stressed that Iran's enemies have resorted to hybrid war to discourage the Iranian people from participating in the parliamentary elections in March, saying massive participation of Iranians in the vote would defeat the enemy.

Israeli minister says Iran 'legitimate target' for Israeli strikes

Israeli occupation Economy Minister Nir Barkat indicated on Wednesday that Iran has become a "legitimate target" for "Israel's" missile strikes for supporting armed movements opposing the Israeli occupation entity.

"Iran is a legitimate target for Israel ... The head of the snake is Tehran. My recommendation is to adopt the strategy that [US] President [John F.] Kennedy used in the Cuban missile crisis. What he basically said then was a missile from Cuba will be answered with a missile to Moscow ... And we should very very clearly make sure the Iranians understand that they will not get away with using proxies against Israel," Barkat said in an interview with The Telegraph.

The Israeli minister claimed that "Israel" could afford to keep fighting and open up a new front with Lebanon despite military spending of over $250 million a day.

But Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the occupation entity suffered a rise in food prices this year due to increased shipping costs, attributed to the growing Yemeni operations, concerns over maritime routes in the Red Sea, and Hezbollah's operations on the northern occupied Palestinian border.

The media suggested that these prices would soar even higher in the case that a war with Hezbollah would start, the outlet said.

Read more: Scope of war is now wider; thus risk of expanded war is up: Iran's FM