IRGC Commander Repeats Threat Of Retaliation Against Israel

Iran International Newsroom
People gather for the funeral of members of the Revolutionary Guard who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, on the same day as Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2024.
People gather for the funeral of members of the Revolutionary Guard who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, on the same day as Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2024.

The chief commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami warned during his Friday Quds Day speech that no attack on “our sacred system [regime] will remain unanswered.”

Salami was speaking just five days after an Israeli precision airstrike killed two top IRGC generals and five other officers, who were meeting in the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Damascus.

The funeral of the seven officers took place Friday morning as part of the Quds Day ceremonies. Salami, speaking during the even said, “Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime. As long as our bodies are carried in these coffins to be mourned by the people, no power, no matter how great, will be able to strike a blow against this nation.”

The chief commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, during Quds Day rallies in Tehran, April 5, 2024
The chief commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, during Quds Day rallies in Tehran, April 5, 2024

Iran’s Supreme Leader and other top officials have vowed a harsh response to Israel at a time of Tehran’s own choosing. While many doubt a direct attack against Israel, there is a high degree of concern about Iranian proxies or agents abroad conducting retaliatory operations against Israel.

Salami also claimed that Hamas has sent messages from Gaza that it can defeat Israel, telling Tehran not to be concerned.

The IRGC commander also railed against the United States for having long supported Israel, reiterating the Islamic Republic’s public stance that American power is waning and US influence in the Middle East is weakening. He claimed that support for Israel has put the United States “at the center of global hatred.”

“The Zionist regime is being kept alive by America's artificial respiration, and it is breathing in the special political, security, and mental intensive care unit of America. Whenever the West's artificial respiration apparatus is removed from the Zionist regime's nose, it will wither and collapse, and this is close, not far,” Salami insisted.

President Joe Biden on Thursday warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable, and Israel should take steps to address the crisis or face consequences. Many lawmakers and experts criticized Biden for putting pressure on Israel while its ally faces direct threats from the hostile Iranian government.

Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian took to social media on Friday to accuse the United States of being directly responsible for the continuation of the war in Gaza.

Tasnim News, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, quoted former IRGC commander and top regime insider, Mohsen Rezaei as saying that Tehran “has made and will definitely implement the decision about taking revenge for the Israeli strike on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria.”