Tehran: Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Sardar Bagheri, has said that the military operation against Israel has “concluded” from Tehran’s side, while issuing a warning that if the US helps Israel in their possible next actions, their bases will “not have any security”, and will be dealt with, according to CNN.
“Israel’s actions in the consulate were condemned so a response should have been given,” Bagheri said. He also noted that, although the operation is concluded, Iranian forces continue to remain on high alert. Iranian officials have made it apparent that the strikes this weekend were reprisals for an Israeli strike on April 1 that destroyed an Iranian consulate facility in Damascus.
Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack, which Iran claims cost the lives of several officials, including Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi. Following its attack on Israel, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander declared that a “new equation” had been developed. He stated that as a result, Iran will henceforth immediately retaliate against any Israeli attack on its interests, resources, or citizens.
“We have decided to create a new equation, which is that if from now on the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, personalities, and citizens, anywhere and at any point we will retaliate against them,” CNN quoted the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami as saying to Iranian state TV. “The Honest Promise operation is a prominent and very clear example of this new equation,” Salami said.
Meanwhile, Iraq said it had reopened its airspace after it was temporarily closed overnight amid the attacks on Israel. This decision comes after the successful “mitigation of all risks” that previously impacted the security and safety of civil aviation in Iraq, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said on Sunday, as per CNN.
As a precaution, the airspace was blocked on Saturday night after a detailed risk assessment by Iraqi authorities. Iran, on Saturday, attacked Israel with more than 200 projectiles, in response to an attack on its consulate in Syria.
With the latest escalation between Iran and the West, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a travel advisory to Indian citizens on Friday and asked them to refrain from travelling to both countries until further notice. Earlier today, US President Joe Biden condemned Iran’s attack on Israeli soil, adding that he will convene G7 leaders on Monday to coordinate a united diplomatic response.
“Earlier today, Iran–and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq–launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” Biden said, according to the White House statement. US President Biden also held talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed the US’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security.
“I’ve just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel. I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” he said. Moreover, Biden reaffirmed that the US will be in close touch with Israeli leaders.
