Tehran [Iran], April 4: Iran's Supreme Leader announced that Israel would "receive a slap" after the recent airstrike on Iran's diplomatic building in Syria that killed two guard generals.
In a speech to Iranian officials in the capital Tehran on April 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that the work to defeat Israel in the Gaza Strip would continue and that "this regime is about to decline and disintegrate", according to AFP.
"Desperate efforts like the ones they committed in Syria will not save them from failure. Of course, they will also have to suffer a slap for that action," Mr. Khamenei added.
Iranian media reported that 13 people were killed in an airstrike that collapsed the consulate building next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus (Syria) on April 1. Among them are 7 members of Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two senior commanders of the IRGC's Quds overseas task force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and deputy Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.
Tehran officials said Israeli F-35 fighter jets launched six missiles to destroy that five-story building, which was also the residence of the Iranian ambassador. The funerals of those killed will be held on April 5, the same day as the IRGC's annual anniversary.
Supreme Leader Khamenei, who has the decisive voice in promulgating the country's major policies, has called on Iranians to take to the streets to participate in this year's event, hoping that it will be the day of the Muslim world. religion "can celebrate the destruction of Israel".
Iran and Israel are rivals in the Middle East. Regional tensions increased after Hamas, a force backed by Tehran, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,100 people and kidnapping many hostages. Israel conducted a military campaign to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed nearly 33,000 people, according to Palestinian officials. Iran has denied direct involvement in the October 7 attack.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper