Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s hardline finance minister, says retaliation for Iran’s strikes must “rock Tehran so everyone there will realise they shouldn’t mess with us”, Al Jazeera reports.

The response to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last week has to be “fierce, severe and inflict a disproportionate toll”, Smotrich told Israel’s Army Radio (GLZ).

He added the retaliation is necessary to “shape [Israel’s] position in the Middle East”.

“This is the language spoken in the Middle East,” Smotrich said in the interview.