The threat comes in the wake of a second alleged Israeli strike in a week on the Aleppo International Airport just ahead of the expected delivery of a weapons shipment from Iran to its terrorist proxies.
By Erin Viner
“The Zionist regime (Israel) is considered a major threat to Iran’s security… all governments that cooperate with this regime’s aggression against Iran’s security will pay its price,” senior commander Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Gholamali Rashid was cited as saying by the group’s affiliate, the Tasnim semi-official news agency.
For the past several years, Jerusalem has acknowledged mounting hundreds of attacks on Iranian-linked targets in Syria where the Islamic Republic’s forces and proxy terror groups – including Lebanon’s Hezbollah – have become entrenched in deployments aimed at attacking Israel; while assisting President Bashar al-Assad battle insurgents in the Syrian Civil War which erupted in 2011.
While the Jewish State rarely confirms such missions, the country’s political and defense leaders have repeatedly stated that Iran’s presence just over the northern frontier will not be tolerated.
The IRGC leader’s remarks also follow a stalemate between the United States and the Ayatollah Regime to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have stalled, yet again.
Israeli leaders have long opposed the JCPOA as too weak to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear bombs. The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly threatened to annihilate the Jewish State. Jerusalem has steadily warned of military action against the country’s nuclear sites if the diplomacy fails to curb Tehran’s nuclear work.
“If Iran continues to test us, it will discover Israel’s long arm and capabilities. We will continue to act on all fronts against terrorism and against those who seek to harm us,” stated Israeli Prime Minister Lapid on Tuesday following inspection of the nation’s aerial defenses at the Nevatim Air Force Base.
He then underscored that Jerusalem will do whatever is necessary to thwart any malign operations by Tehran with Washington’s backing and approval.
“As President (Joe) Biden and I agreed, Israel has full freedom to act as we see fit to prevent the possibility of Iran becoming a nuclear threat,” he said.
Stressing that while “it is too early to know whether if we indeed succeeded in preventing the nuclear agreement,” Prime Minister Lapid reiterated that, “Israel is prepared for any threat and every scenario.”
Iran has repeatedly said it will give a crushing response to any aggression.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported yesterday that Iran’s arsenal of near weapons-grade 60% enriched uranium has increased to produce nuclear weapons. While a fissile purity of 90% is necessary to produce a nuclear bomb, the gap is not considered difficult to bridge.
The JCPOA curbed the purity to which Iran was allowed to enrich uranium at 3.67% – well below the 20% it achieved prior to the international pact.
A second report issued by the United Nations nuclear watchdog emphasized that the Islamic Republic has still failed to provide credible answers on the origin of uranium particles found at its undeclared Toorkooz-abad, Teheran & Marivan sites.