Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Israel again Wednesday that it “will be punished” for an air strike on Damascus that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of whom were generals.
“The evil regime made a mistake in this regard; it must and will be punished,” Khamenei stated in a televised address following Eid al-Adha prayers in Tehran.
Khamenei claimed that the April 1 strike, which destroyed the five-story consular annexe of the Iranian embassy in Syria, violated international agreements that guarantee the security of diplomatic premises.
“The consulate and embassy offices in any country are the territory of that country,” he went on to say. “When they attacked our consulate, it means they attacked our territory.”
Khamenei has led Iranian officials in a series of threats to avenge the strike, which was largely attributed to arch-rival Israel.
On Sunday, one of his key advisers, Yahya Rahim Safavi, warned that Israeli embassies were “no longer safe”.
Following Iran’s threats of reprisal, Israel announced last week that it was upgrading its defenses and suspending leave for combat forces.
Iran does not recognise Israel, and the two countries have waged a covert conflict for years.
Iran claims that Israel was behind a wave of sabotage and murder attempts against its nuclear program.