You can refer to an action as a riposte to something when it is a response to that thing. The operation is being seen as a swift riposte to the killing of a senior army commander. a quick, clever reply to something that someone has said (risposta , from rispondere , from respondere; RESPOND)
If you riposte, you make a quick, clever response to something someone has said. `It's tough at the top,' he said. `It's tougher at the bottom,' riposted the billionaire