TEHRAN – The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, has vowed revenge against Israel for the killing of an IRGC military adviser in a recent airstrike on Syria’s Aleppo.
In a statement on Wednesday, Salami offered condolences for the martyrdom of Saeed Abyar, who was on an advisory mission in Syria when he was killed in the Israeli attack.
“The Zionist criminals should know that they will pay the price for this crime,” Salami said. “We will not rest until we have avenged the blood of our martyr.”
Salami praised Abyar for his support of resistance groups, saying that his sacrifice would inspire future generations of Iranian soldiers.
The Israeli airstrike on Syria took place on Monday, targeting areas near Aleppo. It caused several casualties and significant material damage.
Israel has launched hundreds of attacks on Syria since the start of a Western-instigated war there in 2011, targeting government forces, resistance groups, and Iranian advisors who are in the Arab country at the request of Syrian authorities.
The last Israeli attack which resulted in the martyrdom of Iranian military officials happened on April 1, when the regime launched airstrikes on Iran’s embassy in Damascus, killing a high-ranking Iranian general and his deputy.
The attack, slammed by several countries as a blatant breach of international law, was followed by an unprecedented retaliation from Iran. After the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stated that he would make Israel “regret” its decision to strike Iran’s diplomatic premises, the West Asian country carried out a large-scale drone and missile operation against Israeli positions in the occupied territories.
The Iranian projectiles, later revealed to have been among Iran’s older-generation weapons, successfully hit military bases deep inside the occupied territories. The U.S., UK, France, and Jordan also aided Israel in downing the drones and missiles.
