Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps figures in Damascus, first and foremost Gen. Hassan Mahadawi. All of the signs and warnings are pointing to Tehran taking revenge on Israel.
The Israeli military is also considering reopening shelters in Tel Aviv as a precaution against a possible attack, according to Mehr News Agency, as reported by The Guardian. “In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units. The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements,” the military said in a statement.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said: “We consider this aggression to have violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties. Benjamin Netanyahu has completely lost his mental balance due to the successive failures in Gaza and his failure to achieve his Zionist goals.”
Amos Yadlin, a former Israeli intelligence chief, told Reuters that Iran may choose this Friday – the last in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and Iran’s Quds (Jerusalem) Day – to respond to the Damascus strike, either directly or through a proxy.
“I will not be surprised if Iran will act tomorrow. Don’t panic. Don’t run to the shelters,” said Yadlin, a senior fellow at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center at Harvard University, citing Israel’s aerial defense systems. “Be tuned for tomorrow and then, depending on the consequences of the attack, it may escalate,” Yadlin said. –The Guardian
On Thursday, Iran repatriated the bodies of seven IRGC members killed in the strike. “The bodies of the Iran embassy martyrs arrived at Mehrabad airport,” in Tehran, the ISNA news agency reported.
