Iranian adherence to a response that goes beyond “strategic patience”… and warnings of war
Amid warnings of a devastating war, officials, military leaders, and lawmakers in Iran insisted on responding to the bombing of the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, going beyond the strategy of “strategic patience,” at a time when the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is preparing for the funeral of the commander of its forces in Syria and Lebanon, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy. Brigadier General Muhammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five Revolutionary Guard officers whom Tehran described as “military advisors.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi repeated the threat to “punish” Israel in response to the deadly attack. He said: “The usurping Zionist regime will be punished by the men of the Resistance Front, and they will regret this crime and others like it.”
The spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard, Ramadan Sharif, said that his forces will mourn those killed in Syria, on Friday in Tehran, in conjunction with the “Al-Quds Day” marches, the occasion organized by the authorities annually on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan. Iranian websites reported that the bodies of those killed by the Revolutionary Guards would arrive in the city of Mashhad, coming from Najaf, Iraq, early Thursday, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei leading the funeral prayers.
In the context of the threats, General Rahim Safavi, advisor to the Iranian leader on military affairs, said, “Israel knows that it has reached the end of the road.”
On the other hand, former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a statement, “The Zionist entity wants to expand the scope of the war in the region with this attack, but its plans will undoubtedly be thwarted by the cleverness and planning of the guide (Ali Khamenei).”
For his part, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament, Ismail Kothari, said, “Israel must prepare itself for a firm response from Iran because it has attacked our lands.” He added: “It is certain that countermeasures will be taken, but the time and place are not clear.”
Iranian officials receive condolences at the Iranian embassy in Damascus today (Reuters)
Kothari, a general in the Revolutionary Guards, added in press statements, “The attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria is a major violation, a crime, and a measure that violates all international regulations. It was committed by the Zionist entity in cooperation with America. It must be held accountable and cannot be condoned in any way.”
Kothari said, “Strategic patience does not mean anything in our response to the Israeli attack against our embassy,” but he added: “The decision is in the hands of officials and decision-makers in this area.” They are the ones who decide the time, place, and level of response.”
The government ISNA agency quoted Kothari as saying, “This terrorist act is a license to respond to this crime anywhere in the world.”
Kothari asked: “Does Syria have hostility with Israel so that it can attack Syria whenever it wants?” Because they could not reach their goals in Gaza that they set six months ago, they do things like this to say that we are still stronger and we are still there.” He said in a statement to the “Daneshjo” agency, affiliated with the Student Basij, that “Syria has not witnessed any military confrontation with the Zionist entity in recent days, and that the Iranian advisors are active at the request and with an official license from the Syrian government.”
He also said: “In addition to Israel, America must wait for the Iranian response,” pointing out that the Iranian Supreme National Security Council “has taken appropriate decisions,” noting that Parliament “will announce its official position in its first session next week, including sending a delegation to Syria”.
Unlike Kawsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Fadahsin Maleki, said that “Iran has already responded to Israel,” but he added: “It is natural for Iran to direct a response commensurate with their attack on our consulate,” adding that “the Americans are standing behind the curtain of the attack on the consulate.” “Their goal is to drag Iran into a regional war.”
Response and goals
Maleki explained that “Iran will direct its final response with tact and farsightedness,” pointing out that his country “has many goals on the agenda, and it will certainly direct a response in accordance with these goals.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian had announced that an “important message” had been sent to the United States through the Swiss embassy, which represents American interests in Iran. He said that sending the message to Washington “then considers it a partner of the Zionist regime… so it must bear responsibility.”
Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the Iranian leader, said that the United States “remains directly responsible, whether it was aware of Israel’s intention to carry out this attack or not.”
A propaganda banner distributed by the Propaganda Center of the Revolutionary Guard threatening the leaders of the Israeli army with revenge (EPA)
Later, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby warned that his country would respond to any retaliatory attacks, describing Iranian accusations against Washington as “nonsense.” He said: “We have nothing to do with the strike in Damascus. “We were not involved in it in any way,” and he pledged not to be complacent in protecting American forces in Iraq and Syria.
In turn, Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said that American forces did not play any role in the strike and that the United States secretly informed Tehran through private channels. She added: “We were not notified by the Israelis about their strike or the intended target of their strike in Damascus.”
Concern in the Security Council
For the second time, the European Union condemned, on Wednesday, the air strike on the Iranian embassy compound, and called on countries in the region to show restraint.
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said in a post on the social networking site “X”: “In this very tense situation in the region, it is necessary to show the utmost restraint.” He added: “The principle of immunity of diplomatic and consular offices and their employees must be respected in all cases and under any circumstances in accordance with international law.” According to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the German government expressed a reserved reaction to the alleged attack launched by Israel on the Iranian embassy compound, and a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said on Wednesday: “We do not have information of our own that would allow for a complete or final assessment of this incident.” The spokesman cautioned that since Germany does not have an embassy in Syria, “we cannot verify this definitively now.”
This came at a time when Russia accused Israel of seeking to “inflame” the conflict in the Middle East, holding it responsible for the “unacceptable” strike that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia during an emergency session of the Security Council on Tuesday (AP)
During an emergency session of the Security Council, the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, denounced the “flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty, adding that Moscow “sees that these aggressive actions by Israel aim to inflame the conflict,” adding that they are “completely unacceptable and must stop.” .
Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Zahra Ershadi, accused Israel of threatening regional and international peace, and said that Iran had exercised “a great deal of restraint,” but Israel must now bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the attack.
For his part, Algeria’s representative in the Security Council, Ammar Benjameh, denounced a “deliberate action” that comes in response to international pressure and aims to “entice an escalation of the conflict” for the sake of “political calculations,” in turn accusing Israel of seeking to drag “the entire region” into the conflict.
For his part, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Qusay al-Dahhak, described the attack as “a dangerous precedent and a grave violation of international conventions and norms that guarantee the protection of diplomatic headquarters and the prohibition of any attacks on them.”
He added: “We hold Israel and the American administration responsible for the consequences of repeated attacks on regional and international peace and security, and for pushing the region to unprecedented levels of escalation and instability.”
Robert Wood, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, told the Council: “We reported this directly to Iran,” adding that the United States “cannot confirm any information about this event.” Wood urged Iran and its agents and partners in the region to calm tensions, and repeated previous American warnings to them not to exploit the situation “to resume their attacks on the United States.”
Robert Wood, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks before the Council on Tuesday (Reuters)
Almost all Council members expressed concern that the Damascus attack, along with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, could spill over into the entire Middle East region, and beyond.
These countries unanimously condemned the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, stressing the sanctity of diplomatic institutions, but without explicitly referring to Israel.
The former official in charge of the Middle East file in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Qassem Moheb Ali, said in a statement to the “Intekhab” website, “Israel chose to expand the war throughout the region,” and added: “If we do not take the details into account, we will be drawn into Israel’s game… We must We see whether a similar response will be in our interest or in the interest of Netanyahu’s team.”
For his part, Heshmatullah Falahatpisheh, former head of the National Security Committee, criticized calls to attack Israeli diplomatic headquarters. He said: “Those who demand this do not understand national interests…” He said: “Some are talking about hard revenge. Putting up slogans without action will weaken the country’s strategic strength.”
#Iranian #soldiers #killed #coordinated #attacks #Balochistan #province
2024-04-04 11:06:00
