Some of Iran’s most powerful officials, including “Supreme Leader” Khamenei, vowed revenge against Israel on Monday after an airstrike in Damascus, Syria, that eliminated top Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials. .
“The evil regime will be punished by our brave soldiers. By God’s will, we will make them regret this and other crimes,” Khamenei declared, according to Iranian state news agency. did press tv Propaganda Network on Tuesday. Khamenei called Israel “usurper and despicable.”
Same goes for President Ebrahim Raisi, a subordinate of Khamenei. blackmailed In his own remarks on Tuesday, he ordered terrorist acts against Israel and vowed that the attack on Damascus “will not go unanswered.”
“After repeated defeats and failures in the face of the faith and will of the resistance front fighters, [Hamas and other terrorists]”The Zionist regime, which is on the agenda of indiscriminate assassinations as part of the struggle to save its country, should know that such inhuman acts will never achieve its evil objectives,” Raisi said regarding the air strikes. This was reportedly his first public statement.
“Israel will witness day by day the strengthening of the resistance front and the disgust and hatred of free nations for its own lawless nature. This heinous crime will not go unchecked,” he concluded. I attached it.
An Iranian military truck carrying a surface-to-air missile passes in front of a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei during the annual Army Day parade in Tehran on April 18, 2018. (Atta Kenale/AFP via Getty)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian warned Given Israel’s status as its largest international ally, not only Israel but also the United States would have to bear responsibility for the attack.
“As a supporter of the Zionist regime, an important message has been sent to the U.S. government. [Israel]. The United States must take responsibility,” Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.
There is no evidence to suggest that the United States participated in the strikes, and Iran’s foreign minister did not offer to participate.
Tehran’s anger is a response to airstrikes in Syria that Iranian media claimed destroyed the Iranian consulate in the capital and killed seven local “military advisers” in collaboration with the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime. An Israeli television report later confirmed by the Iranian regime said those killed included Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. Some reports have suggested that the attack occurred as Zahedi hosted a meeting with members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization operating against Israel, which is said to receive financial and ideological support from Iran.
In addition to suspected operations with terrorist groups near Israel, Zahedi is reportedly believed to be working closely with Iranian proxies in Lebanon.
Removing Zahedi from the battlefield would be a major blow to Iran’s terrorist activities. The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization. The Quds Force is responsible for international terrorist operations. explained as the “de facto foreign relations branch” of the Revolutionary Guards. Quds Force leaders lead in securing friendly relations with terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria, and narco-terrorist organizations in Africa and Latin America, including Marxist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela. role. The Quds Force’s outsized influence over Iran’s international relations has previously irritated the Foreign Ministry, which has distanced itself from ties with terrorist proxies.
Zahedi’s death is believed to be the biggest blow to the Iranian government since a US airstrike in January 2020 removed former Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani. President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike while Soleimani was meeting with Iranian commanders. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis of the Iraqi terrorist Hezbollah Brigades, or Kataib Hezbollah, was also killed. The effects of Soleimani’s removal from the battlefield still reverberate today. According to reports that circulated in February, Soleimani’s successor as commander of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has been linked to Iranian terrorist proxies, apparently concerned that he will be targeted in the same way as Soleimani. He reportedly asked the US to moderate its attacks on US forces.
Hezbollah reportedly also paid tribute to Zahedi on Tuesday, praising his contribution to the “development and promotion of the activities” the terror group was carrying out in Lebanon.
According to the newspaper, Hezbollah said in a statement about the attack: “This crime will never be realized unless our enemies face punishment and retaliation.” era of israel.
Independent media “Iran International” report At least two Iranian “hardliners,” politicians who advocate war with the West, have called on the Iranian military to launch an airstrike on the Israeli embassy. Iranian officials have made clear their response, insisting that it is within their rights under international law to “take countermeasures,” but they have not yet specified a response.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which collaborates with the IRGC, also published Photos from a government-sponsored rally in Tehran. There, local residents were forced to “vent their anger against the Zionist regime after Israeli warplanes attacked the Iranian embassy consulate in Damascus.”
people #Tehran participated in the meeting of#Palestine People rallied in the square on Monday night to vent their anger at the Zionist regime after Israeli warplanes attacked the Iranian embassy’s consulate. #Damascus On April 1, seven members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed. pic.twitter.com/8pPCBftPuR
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) April 2, 2024
iran international was suggestedThe attack on the Iranian consulate was itself a response to Sunday’s drone attack on the southern Israeli city of Eilat, an anonymous source said. The attack caused no casualties, but a naval building in the port city was targeted and partially destroyed.
The Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq, a vague group believed to be made up of Iranian terrorist proxies in Iraq, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the Eilat attack.
Israel has been under fire since October 7, when Hamas, a Sunni terrorist organization heavily funded by Iran, invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250. Hamas terrorists have been recorded killing children such as infants, torturing civilians in their homes, and committing gang rapes and other sexual crimes.
The Iranian government celebrated the terrorist siege with street parties. A Hamas spokesperson told the BBC on the record on October 7 that the group received “direct support” from Iran to organize the attack.
