Iran's Army Commander: We Will End Israel's Existence in Less Than 25 Years

The Commander of the Iranian Army once again threatened Israel with destruction, referencing statements from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who claimed that Israel 'will not see the next 25 years.' Abdulrahim Mousavi stated on Saturday, April 4, to the Tasnim news agency: 'We will be able to suppress America at the height of its power, and we will, God willing, end the existence of the Zionist regime in less than 25 years.' Mousavi, who was appointed by the Supreme Leader about seven months ago, has previously threatened Israel multiple times. For instance, about a month after his appointment, he stated that if Israel 'makes a mistake, we will destroy Tel Aviv.' In another speech, he threatened: 'The Zionist regime will not see the next 25 years thanks to the efforts of fighters like martyr Hajji.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently referred to Israel as a 'cancerous tumor,' with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasizing that this country 'will not see the next 25 years.' Last week, Abdullah Hajizadeh, the new representative of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, called Israel the 'main enemy' and stated: 'Our youth are fully prepared for the destruction of Israel.' In February, Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, stated during a memorial for Imad Mughniyeh, the military commander of Hezbollah, that the best revenge for Mughniyeh is 'the destruction of Israel.' These statements from Soleimani elicited a reaction from Russia. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, remarked in the presence of his Iranian counterpart that remarks like 'wiping Israel off the map' are unacceptable and 'this is a completely wrong way to advance a country's interests.' The United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and several other countries have repeatedly criticized the verbal attacks by senior Iranian officials against Israel and have strongly condemned threats to destroy this country. Israel describes the Iranian regime as a 'vital threat' to its existence and has called on the international community to impose sanctions and take a hard stance against Iran. Last year, during the Iranian presidential election campaign, Hassan Rouhani criticized those who wrote 'Death to Israel' on missiles to undermine the JCPOA; in response to this criticism, Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, the head of the Basij Organization, said: 'Is writing Death to Israel on a missile a bad thing? Essentially, the annihilation of Israel is one of our ideals.'