Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made a strong statement against Israel, stating that they “must be punished and it shall be” for their recent attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria. The attack was carried out by suspected Israeli warplanes on April 1st, which Iran claims killed seven military advisors.
According to Khamenei, the bombing of the consulate is seen as an attack on Iranian soil. Speaking at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he vowed that the “evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be”. It is clear that Iran is taking this attack seriously and is willing to retaliate.
In response to Khamenei’s statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has warned that Israel will respond if Iran attacks Israel from its own territory. He made this statement on the social media platform X, saying “If Iran attacks from its own territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran”.
This latest development marks a major escalation in the ongoing war between Israel and its regional adversaries. Iran has been backing various groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iraqi groups in Syria and Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Israel launched its invasion of Gaza in response to an attack on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7th. Since then, over 33,360 Palestinians have been killed in the six months of Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Hamas’ attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. The situation remains tense, and it is unclear what the next move will be for either side.
