Iran Vows ‘Strong and Decisive Response’ to Israeli Strikes in Syria

Iran has promised a forceful retaliation to recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria that killed two of its military advisers.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said during a funeral held on Wednesday that Israelis “know they have received and will receive a harsher blow compared to what they have dealt to us,” adding that they “should be ready for a strong and decisive response.”

The ongoing proxy war between Iran and Israel in Syria has led to Iranian-backed forces’ orchestration of terror attacks on Israel. Israeli forces have conducted a series of strikes in and around Damascus after Tehran used Syria as a base to launch a drone into Israeli airspace.

According to Iran’s state-controlled press, Naqdi said, “The blood of our martyrs is far more valuable than killing a Zionist; although this will happen, the main revenge is the liberation of al-Quds,” referring to the mosque located in the Temple Mount.

The Islamic Republic is petitioning the United Nations to classify Israel’s strikes on Syria as a violation of international law.

At the funeral of the two Iranian military advisers killed in Syria, footage showed attendees “chanting vociferous slogans against the Israeli regime and the U.S.,” according to Mehr News.

Israel’s conservative government is dealing with political unrest at home and a wave of Palestinian violence at Jerusalem’s holy sites; Iran is working to escalate Palestinian unrest, hoping the violence destabilizes the Israeli government, leading it vulnerable to terror attacks. The latest spate of violence started with violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians leading to a barrage of rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Iranian proxies also launched rocket barrages at Israel from militant groups operating in Lebanon, leaving fears of a larger regional war.

Iran’s expanding nuclear program, leading to a window for Israel to launch a preemptive strike, is another cause for worry, according to Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

He said, “The bar for the use of force by the Islamic Republic has been dropping, including for weapons like drones and ballistic missiles,” adding, “Iran is also trying to maximally exploit the internal situation in Israel to fan the flames on multiple fronts against Jerusalem.”