'We will cause maximum damage to the enemy': Iran once again threatens Israel over Syria attack

As both Israel and the US brace themselves for an Iranian counterstrike, Tehran on Saturday once again reiterated its vow to avenge the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards in an attack in Syria’s Damascus earlier this week.

Iran’s response “will be carried out at the right time, with the necessary precision and planning, and with maximum damage to the enemy so that they regret their action,” Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri said on Saturday.

Israel, which has not commented on the attack yet, is preparing itself for an imminent Iranian attack by boosting its air defence systems and cancelling leaves for troops.

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Media reports suggest that Iran might engage in direct confrontation with Israel, a move that will escalate regional tensions.

Bagheri’s comments came as he addressed the crowd at a ceremony in the central city of Isfahan to commemorate Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the two dead brigadier generals from the Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign operations arm.

On Saturday, crowds at the gathering in Isfahan chanted “Down with Israel!” and “Down with the United States!”

From President Ebrahim Raisi to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran has threatened retaliation against the killings of its army commanders.

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Talking to CNN, a US official said that the governments of Israel and the US are currently working to soften the blow of an Iranian attack as they anticipate a counterstrike by Tehran could come in different ways and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel might be targeted.

In a written message to the US, Iran asked Washington to “step aside” and “warned the US not to get dragged into Netanyahu’s trap.”

Tehran does not recognise Israel, and the two countries have fought a shadow war for years.

Iran accuses Israel of having carried out a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear programme.

With inputs from agencies