President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran said on Tuesday that Israel’s air strikes on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, which killed three top Iranian commanders, will not go unanswered. Government supporters took to the streets and called for retaliation against Israel.
The strike, on part of the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, killed three generals in Iran’s Quds Force and four other officers, making it one of the deadliest attacks of the yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran.
Raisi said it was an “inhumane assault in brazen violation of international law,” in comments reported by Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency. He added that it will not go unanswered, but gave no details of how Iran might respond.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said in an earlier post on X that Iran had summoned the Swiss ambassador after midnight local time and asked that an important message be delivered to Washington: That as Israel’s ally, the “US must answer” for Israel’s actions. Switzerland acts as the US’ representative in the absence of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington. The spokesman for the leadership of Iran’s parliament, Seyyed Nezamoldin Mousavi, told Iranian state media that “an appropriate response is a national request by the people of Iran.”
In Washington, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council said that “the US had no involvement in the strike” and “did not know about it ahead of time”. A US official said a statement had been communicated directly to Iran.
In several cities across Iran, including Tehran, large crowds gathered waving Palestinian and Iranian flags and demanding revenge. “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” chanted the crowds, warning that if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared jihad against Israel, then “no army can hold us back.”
The UNSC will hold an emergency meeting later on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s attack. Russia, a close ally of Iran, requested the meeting. Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a letter to the world body that the attack on diplomatic buildings was a violation of international law.
The strike, on part of the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, killed three generals in Iran’s Quds Force and four other officers, making it one of the deadliest attacks of the yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran.
Raisi said it was an “inhumane assault in brazen violation of international law,” in comments reported by Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency. He added that it will not go unanswered, but gave no details of how Iran might respond.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said in an earlier post on X that Iran had summoned the Swiss ambassador after midnight local time and asked that an important message be delivered to Washington: That as Israel’s ally, the “US must answer” for Israel’s actions. Switzerland acts as the US’ representative in the absence of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington. The spokesman for the leadership of Iran’s parliament, Seyyed Nezamoldin Mousavi, told Iranian state media that “an appropriate response is a national request by the people of Iran.”
In Washington, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council said that “the US had no involvement in the strike” and “did not know about it ahead of time”. A US official said a statement had been communicated directly to Iran.
In several cities across Iran, including Tehran, large crowds gathered waving Palestinian and Iranian flags and demanding revenge. “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” chanted the crowds, warning that if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared jihad against Israel, then “no army can hold us back.”
The UNSC will hold an emergency meeting later on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s attack. Russia, a close ally of Iran, requested the meeting. Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a letter to the world body that the attack on diplomatic buildings was a violation of international law.