Iranian FM heads to Syria, accuses Israel of trying to start a regional war
Top diplomat met Houthi leader in Oman beforehand; Islamic Republic’s army on ‘high alert’ to avenge 7 Revolutionary Guard officers killed in alleged Israeli strike in Damascus
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrapped up a visit to Oman and was heading to Syria’s capital Damascus a week after Iran’s consulate there was targeted in a suspected Israeli attack, Iranian state media reported on Monday.
Tehran has vowed to avenge seven of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who were killed in the attack, with a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader saying on Sunday that Israeli embassies were no longer safe. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Israel “completed preparations for a response against any scenario that would develop against Iran.”
Amir-Abdollahian started a regional tour on Sunday in Muscat, where the foreign minister met Omani officials and a representative of Yemen’s Houthis Mohamed Abdel-Salam, who said the Iranian-backed terrorist group would continue to target Israel-bound ships until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
“The attack on Iran’s embassy building in Damascus is a new step in Israel’s warmongering and its attempt to expand war regionally,” Amir-Abdollahian said while in Oman.
Israel typically does not discuss attacks by its forces on Syria. Asked about the strike last week, an Israeli military spokesperson said: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”
Iran was reported on Friday to have put its military on “high alert” and decided in favor of a direct strike on Israel to avenge the seven killed Revolutionary Guard officers. The Islamic Republic’s military chief promised on Saturday to inflict “maximum damage” on the Jewish state in retaliation for the alleged Israeli strike.
The attack leveled a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing seven IRGC members including two generals, and at least one member of the Hezbollah terror group. Iran claims the bombed building was a consular annex. The IRGC is a US-designated terror group.
Both Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah have vowed revenge. One of those killed in the Damascus attack was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, reportedly responsible for the IRGC’s operations in Syria and Lebanon, for Iranian militias there, and for ties with Hezbollah, and thus the most senior commander of Iranian forces in the two countries.
Possible scenarios for which the IDF is understood to be preparing include missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen — all of which have been carried out amid the ongoing Gaza war — and ballistic missile attacks directly from Iran, a situation that Israel has not yet faced. Israeli officials believe the country’s air defense systems will be able to handle the threat.
On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces canceled all leave for active combat soldiers, though the IDF Home Front Command has issued no special instructions to the public.
A day earlier, the IDF said it was bolstering air defenses and calling up reservists, following an assessment.
Iran has reportedly also put its military forces on “full high alert” ahead of any expected strike.
