Israel’s embassies are not safe, warns Iran
TEHRAN: A top Iranian military adviser on Sunday warned Israel that none of its embassies were safe following last week’s strike in Damascus blamed on Israel that killed two elite Iranian generals.
The remarks by General Rahim Safavi, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signalled that the atack on a diplomatic mission could be met with a similar response. Israel has not directly acknowledged its involvement.
“None of the embassies of the (Israeli) regime are safe anymore,” Safavi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim agency.
He spoke at a ceremony in Tehran for the generals killed in the strike that flatened an Iranian consular building.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any response.
“Whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them,” he told a Cabinet meeting.
However, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Tel Aviv is ready to handle any scenario that may arise with Iran.
Gallant’s office issued the statement about Israel’s preparedness ater he held an “operational situation assessment” with senior military officers.
“Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasised that the defence establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran,” his office said.
The Chief of General Staff, Herzi Halevi, said Israel “knows how to deal with Iran - offensively and defensively”.
“We know how to act forcefully against Iran in both near and distant places. We are operating in cooperation with the USA and strategic partners in the region,” he said in televised remarks.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat, starting a regional tour in Oman on Sunday, hailed Yemeni support for the Palestinian people, his foreign ministry reported.
Oman is a mediator in the war between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Yemen’s internationallyrecognised government.
Houthi rebels have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November. They say they are acting in support of Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In his meeting with Houthi spokesman and senior official Mohammed Abdelsalam, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-abdollahian hailed “the brave support of the Yemeni nation for the oppressed Palestinian nation.”
According to Syrian newspaper Al-watan, Amirabdollahian travels on to Damascus on Monday for an official visit. During his meeting in Oman, Amir-abdollahian, like other Iranian leaders, vowed revenge for the atack in Syria.