Iran says killing of commanders in suspected Israeli strike ‘won’t go unanswered’
Fears grow over a wider regional conflict as Iran's leadership pledges retaliation against Israel, which is accused of having killed over a dozen senior Iranian commanders during the course of the Gaza war.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning of retaliation against Israel after several Iranian commanders were killed in a powerful strike in Damascus on Monday.
"We will make the Zionist regime regret this crime," Khamenei declared in a statement published on his official website on Tuesday.
The suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate building killed seven members of the Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among the dead were Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Zahedi, who commanded the Quds Force operations in Syrian and Lebanon, as well as his deputy, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi.
Condemning Israel as "the usurping and despicable regime," Khamenei promised that it "will be punished by our brave heroes," without elaborating further.
