Iran's Message to the U.S.: Israel Has Crossed Our Red Lines

On Tuesday, January 7, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister announced Iran's message to the U.S. following the death of Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the Golan Heights of Syria. According to Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Tehran has stated in this message that Israel has 'crossed Iran's red lines and must await the consequences of this action.' Concurrently, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, also threatened Israel with retaliation. In an interview with the state news agency IRNA, Amir Abdollahian said, 'In this message, we informed the Americans that the Zionist regime has crossed Iran's red lines with these actions.' He added, 'We told the Americans that the officials of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their actions.' Abdollahian stated that Iran's message was sent through diplomatic channels but did not provide details. U.S. officials have not yet confirmed or denied the receipt of the message from Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the existence of Israel. Following the attack on January 28 in the Golan Heights in Syrian territory, Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, along with Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of the slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, and several others were killed. Iran and Hezbollah have pointed the finger at Israel, but the country has remained silent on the matter. Israeli media reported on January 25 that Israel had sent a 'message' to Iran via Russia, urging it not to seek retaliation and calling for 'calm' in this regard. According to reports reflected in the 'Times of Israel,' this 'message' was conveyed by Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Foreign Minister, during his recent meeting with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, in Moscow. On January 24, Hossein Salami had threatened Israel with 'specific retaliation.' He reiterated his statements on Tuesday, saying, 'We tell them we will take revenge, so be prepared, but we will determine the time, place, and intensity of it.' Salami added, 'They should be ready at any time and go to their shelters because the IRGC and Hezbollah do not make empty threats.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, also claimed that 'the liberation of Jerusalem is near,' stating that Israel is 'flailing in its last moments.' The threats from IRGC commanders come as an Israeli military official reported that two mortars were fired from Syrian territory into the Israeli Golan Heights on Tuesday. This attack did not cause casualties, and Israel responded with artillery fire. No group has claimed responsibility for this attack.