Iran "Will Be Punished" vs Israel "Mainland Attack"... Exchanging Verbal Bombs

Iran and Israel are engaged in a fierce exchange of words over the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria.

On the 10th (local time), according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency and others, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei targeted Israel in a speech after Eid al-Fitr (the holiday marking the end of Ramadan) prayers, saying, "The Zionist regime made a mistake by attacking Iran's diplomatic mission in Syria," and warned, "The evil regime must be punished, and it will be."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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He also criticized Israel, which continued the Gaza war during Ramadan, and the West for failing to stop it. Khamenei pointed out, "The occupying regime continued to kill defenseless people, including women and children, during Ramadan," and added, "The West supported such Israel and failed to stop the Gaza war."

In Israel, there were statements suggesting retaliation in case of Iranian revenge, warning against Iran's reprisal for the consulate bombing. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on social media platform X in Hebrew and Persian, "If Iran carries out an attack from its mainland rather than through proxies, Israel will respond by attacking Iran." Minister Cohen also tagged Khamenei in the post, indicating that it was a response to the Supreme Leader's warning that day.

Earlier, on the 1st, the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, was destroyed by a bombing. As a result, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander in charge of Lebanon and Syria for the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, his deputy Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and six other Revolutionary Guard generals were killed. Since then, Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, have pointed to Israel as behind the bombing and have promised retaliation.

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