Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said Israel's attack on the Islamic republic "should neither be exaggerated nor minimised".
"The evil perpetrated by the Zionist regime (Israel) two nights ago must not be exaggerated or minimised," he said in a post on X, describing the deadly attack as a "miscalculation".
On Saturday, Israel carried out air strikes against military sites in Iran in response to Tehran's missile attack on October 1, itself a retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.
At least four Iranian soldiers were killed in the attack which Iran said caused "limited damage" to a few radar systems.
The Israeli military has warned Tehran against responding.
Iranian officials and media have since downplayed the Israeli strikes, highlighting Iran's defensive capabilities but issued no vows of a direct response.
In his post, Khamenei said Israel "should understand the strength, will, and initiative of the Iranian nation and youth."