Cohen, whose tenure as the head of the spy agency ends on this week, made his comments during a ceremony at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, where he received an honorary doctorate.

Israel “ought to ratchet up its military activities against the Iranian regime and continue fighting it relentlessly until they realize that any mistake on their part would bring about great pain,” Cohen stated at the ceremony.

While Israel rarely acknowledges involvement in specific operations, its so-called “shadow war” against Iran’s nuclear program and malign influence in the region has been raging for several decades, escalating in recent years as the Mullah regime ramped up its nuclear ambitions.

Earlier this year Iran accused Israel of “terrorism” following an explosion at the secretive Natanz nuclear plant, as well as of being behind the assassinations of nuclear scientists and military commanders.