Iranian supreme leader vows to take revenge after top general slain in Syria
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, Iran’s supreme leader, has vowed revenge after a suspected Israeli air strike killed a top Iranian general in Tehran’s embassy in Syria.
At least seven people were killed in the strike on the Damascus consulate, including Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps
(IRGC), believed to be in charge of Iran’s operations in Syria and Lebanon. Also killed were Zahedi’s deputy and five officers. Zahedi is the most senior IRGC officer killed since the United States assassinated Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, in January 2020.
“The evil regime will be punished by the hands of our brave warriors,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian state media. “We will make them regret this crime and the like by God’s grace.”
Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, also pledged that “this crime won’t go unanswered”, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“The ignorant leaders of the usurping Israeli regime and their advocates had better realise that such vicious acts will not impact the willpower of resistance fighters who are seeking freedom,” said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, according to state media. “Their aggressive and malicious moves will be met with severe punishment.”
It is unclear how Iran might respond, though Israeli embassies around the world were on high alert yesterday.
Israel is fighting on two-fronts against Hamas in the south and Hezbollah on the northern border. Both groups are funded by Iran.
Until now, Iran has been unwilling to be drawn into direct conflict with Israel and the US. Analysts said that the strike marked a “significant escalation” in Israel’s conflict with Tehran.
Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group said: “By targeting an Iranian diplomatic facility, Israel has crossed a line.”
He added: “Iran is more likely than not to impose a cost on Israel, but it is likely to do so in an indirect manner and through its partners and proxies in the region.”
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said that Tehran could choose from a number of possible ripostes.
“At the end of the day, Israel’s strike today hit at the heart of the IRGC’S most sensitive frontline – and inside Iran’s embassy compound, no less,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “A response is guaranteed. The question is whether it’ll target Israel, Israelis, US regional assets... or something else.”
“Given the IRGC’S established track record for targeting American troops as retaliation for Israeli actions, I’d be surprised if we don’t see a resumption of attacks in Syria and maybe also in Iran.”