Iran’s Guards chief warns of ‘bitter, unimaginable consequences’ for Israel’s strike

Tehran says it will use ‘all available tools’ to respond to targeted assault on military sites; Iraq lodges complaint at UN over alleged use of its airspace during Israeli op

Head of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Hossein Salami arrives for the inauguration of the new Iranian president at the parliament in Tehran, on July 30, 2024 (AFP)
Head of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Hossein Salami arrives for the inauguration of the new Iranian president at the parliament in Tehran, on July 30, 2024 (AFP)

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday that Israel had “failed to achieve its ominous goals” with its Saturday strikes on Iranian military sites.

Hossein Salami, quoted by the Tasnim news agency, said the Israeli attack, which came in retaliation for Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile barrage on the country, was a sign of “miscalculation and helplessness” as Israel battles the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

“Its bitter consequences will be unimaginable” for Israel, Salami warned according to Tasnim.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned that Tehran would use “all available tools” to respond to Israel’s strikes.

Speaking at a weekly televised news conference, Baghaei said Iran would “use available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime.”

The nature of Iran’s response depends on the nature of the Israeli attack, Baghaei added without elaborating.

Iran has attempted to downplay the retaliatory strike launched by Israel on Saturday, almost four weeks after the Islamic Republic’s barrage of some 200 ballistic missiles. The Israeli military said that the retaliatory attack had targeted strategic military sites — specifically, drone and ballistic missile manufacturing and launch sites, as well as air defense batteries.

Iranian state media also reported on Monday that a civilian security guard had been killed in the attacks, the fifth confirmed person to die.

“The martyr Allahverdi Rahimpour, a civilian who was killed near Tehran during the recent attack by the Zionist regime, has been buried,” the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported.

Tasnim reported that Rahimpour had worked “as a security guard in a company” in the city of Nassimshahr, southwest of Tehran.” It did not elaborate further on the company in question.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei holds a weekly press conference in Tehran on October 28, 2024 (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the attack “should neither be exaggerated nor minimized,” but claimed that Israel, in its decision to retaliate, had underestimated “the power, initiative, and determination of the Iranian people.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, meanwhile, that Iran does “not seek war but we will defend the rights of our nation and country,” and stressed that there would be “an appropriate response to the aggression of the Zionist regime.”

Israel has indicated it will not take further action if Iran holds its fire after its two strikes on the Jewish state — in April and in October — but has threatened escalation if the Islamic Republic launches a third barrage.

The head of the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that Israel had restrained itself in its weekend attack on Iran.

“We drew upon only some of our abilities,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said. “We have the ability to do much more.”

“We hit strategic systems in Iran… and we will see how things develop now. We are ready for all scenarios on all fronts,” he added.

Tehran’s allies abroad were quick to criticize Israel’s attack, and an Iraqi government spokesperson said on Monday that Baghdad had submitted a complaint to the United Nations over the alleged use of its airspace to carry out the strikes.

Images and videos on social media from Iraq appeared to show booster sections of missiles used by Israel. The fragments of the missiles appeared to have fallen in an area north of Baghdad.

The Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group in Iraq condemned the use of Iraqi airspace as a “dangerous precedent” and accused the United States of being complicit in the attack, warning that there would be a response to the “aggression.”

The terror group, along with several other pro-Iran factions, has claimed responsibility for drones launched at Israel throughout its year-long war with Hamas — sparked by a brutal assault on southern Israel by Hamas-led terrorists that killed some 1,200 and saw 251 abducted on October 7, 2023 — and has launched attacks on US forces in the region.

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