Iran’s President Ebrahim Raissi condemned on Tuesday a deadly air strike blamed on Israel against his country’s consular annex in Damascus, saying the “cowardly crime will not go unanswered.”
“After repeated defeats and failures against the faith and will of the Resistance Front fighters, the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” Raisi said on his office’s website.
“Day by day, we have witnessed the strengthening of the Resistance Front and the disgust and hatred of free nations towards the illegitimate nature of (Israel). This cowardly crime will not go unanswered.”
Israel declined to comment on the strike.
UN Security Council Meeting
The UN Security Council was to discuss the deadly strike later on Tuesday at a meeting requested by Syrian ally Russia.
“Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts,” Iran’s mission to the world body said.
It warned the strike could “potentially ignite more conflict involving other nations” and called on the Security Council “to condemn this unjustified criminal act.”
Hezbollah warned that Israel would pay for killing high-level Guards.
“This crime will not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
Iran’s ambassador, Akbari, vowed the attack “will lead to our decisive response.”
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad also denounced the attack after visiting the site, calling it a “heinous terrorist attack… killing a number of innocent people.”
Hamas condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack, which it called a “dangerous escalation.”
Moscow, a Damascus ally along with Tehran, blamed “the Israeli Air Force” for the “unacceptable attack against the Iranian consular mission in Syria.”
China said it condemned Israeli air strikes that destroyed the consular annex at its close ally Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
“China condemns the attack,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
“The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity should be respected,” he said.
“The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent, and we oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tensions,” Wang said.
