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©(KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel again on Wednesday that it "will be punished" for a Damascus airstrike that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.
"The evil regime made a mistake in this regard. It must be punished and will be punished," Khamenei said in a televised speech after Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz swiftly riposted with a Persian-language statement on the social media platform X.
"If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran," he said.
Khamenei said that the April 1 strike, which leveled the five-storey Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital, had run roughshod over international agreements providing for the inviolability of diplomatic premises.
"The consulate and embassy offices in any country are the territory of that country," he said. "When they attacked our consulate, it means they attacked our territory."
Khamenei led Iranian officials in a succession of promises to avenge the strike, which was widely blamed on arch foe Israel.
One of his senior advisers, Yahya Rahim Safavi, warned on Sunday that Israeli embassies were "no longer safe."
Israel said last week that it was strengthening its defenses and pausing leave for combat units following Iran's retaliation threats.
Iran does not recognize Israel, and the two countries have fought a shadow war for years.
Iran charges that Israel was behind a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear program.
With AFP
"The evil regime made a mistake in this regard. It must be punished and will be punished," Khamenei said in a televised speech after Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz swiftly riposted with a Persian-language statement on the social media platform X.
"If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran," he said.
اگر ایران از خاک خود حمله کند، اسرائیل واکنش نشان داده و در ایران حمله خواهد کرد Tweets by khamenei_ir
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz)اگر ایران از خاک خود حمله کند، اسرائیل واکنش نشان داده و در ایران حمله خواهد کرد @khamenei_ir
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 10, 2024
Khamenei said that the April 1 strike, which leveled the five-storey Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital, had run roughshod over international agreements providing for the inviolability of diplomatic premises.
"The consulate and embassy offices in any country are the territory of that country," he said. "When they attacked our consulate, it means they attacked our territory."
Khamenei led Iranian officials in a succession of promises to avenge the strike, which was widely blamed on arch foe Israel.
One of his senior advisers, Yahya Rahim Safavi, warned on Sunday that Israeli embassies were "no longer safe."
Israel said last week that it was strengthening its defenses and pausing leave for combat units following Iran's retaliation threats.
Iran does not recognize Israel, and the two countries have fought a shadow war for years.
Iran charges that Israel was behind a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear program.
With AFP
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