Iran will not let the large-scale air strike carried out by Israel on Friday night go unpunished. In a special statement, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei called Jerusalem’s actions a “crime against the nation” and promised “severe punishment” for the blood shed on Iranian soil, The Times of Israel reports.
“The Zionist regime has stretched out its evil and blood-stained hand to commit a crime in our beloved country like never before. By doing so, it has condemned itself to a bitter and painful fate – and it will certainly get it,” Khamenei stressed.
According to him, the Israeli strikes targeted not only military and nuclear facilities but also civilian areas, killing high-ranking commanders and scientists. Iranian sources claim that one of the potential victims could have been the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, General Mohammad Bagheri, but there is no official confirmation.
The IDF, for its part, said it had conducted five waves of missile strikes, firing hundreds of rounds of ammunition at Iranian military targets. The strike was part of the large-scale Operation Eastern Lion, which Israel explained as necessary to destroy infrastructure that threatens its existence.
Amid the rapid escalation, tensions in the region are reaching a critical level. Iran has promised to retaliate, and fears are growing in the world that the conflict will escalate into a full-scale war between the two countries.
