Warning from Khamenei's Representative to Israel: Tel Aviv and Haifa Will Be Reduced to Ashes

Ali Shirazi, the representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, has stated, "Give Iran an excuse, and Tel Aviv and Haifa will be reduced to ashes." Iranian media on Thursday, April 23, referred to Shirazi's remarks as "the first reaction of the Quds Force to Israel's adventures." The Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, recalled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said on Wednesday, "Iran should not test Israel's resolve." According to Israeli media, Netanyahu added during a Holocaust memorial ceremony in Jerusalem that his country "has proven in practice that it suffocates any aggression against it in the bud and responds with strength." However, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Quds Force apparently responded to Netanyahu by saying, "Israel should be careful with its behavior; if it wants to continue its wicked existence for a few more days, it should stop its foolishness." The Quds Force, of which Ali Shirazi is a representative of Ayatollah Khamenei, is believed by analysts to be the driving force behind the Islamic Republic of Iran's regional policies; Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia view Iran's regional policies and the strengthening of Tehran's allies as part of the expansion of terrorism. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, stated in late February that the destruction of Israel is "a divine promise that will definitely be fulfilled"; Ali Khamenei had said two years ago that Israel "will not see the next twenty-five years." The international community has repeatedly condemned Iran's calls for the destruction of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the continued statements of Iranian leaders this week by saying that the Iranian regime, like the Nazis who killed six million Jews, now wants to destroy Israel, but while Jews were defenseless during the Nazis, Israel now has a strong army. The latest round of verbal conflict between Israeli and Iranian officials began after an attack on the Tiyas Air Base (T-4) in Homs province, Syria, early Tuesday, where some Iranian military personnel were among the unknown casualties. The bodies of at least seven Iranian military personnel, including the son of a senior cleric in Qom, were returned to Iran on Tuesday; despite the increasing casualties in Syria, Iran still claims it is there for "advisory" purposes and at the invitation of the legitimate Damascus government. Israel has not accepted responsibility for the attack on Tiyas, and Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Defense Minister, stated on Tuesday, "We only know that we cannot tolerate the Iranian military presence in Syria, which is like tightening a noose around Israel's neck." Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran on international affairs, who has been in Damascus since Tuesday and met with Bashar al-Assad, the president of the Syrian government, regarding the attack on Tiyas, said that Israel's "crime" in Syria "will certainly not go unanswered." Israeli media reported that after these remarks from the Iranian leader's advisor, northern parts of the country near the borders with Lebanon and Syria were put on alert. Regarding Israel's readiness to confront any potential threat from Syria or Hezbollah from Lebanese territory, the Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday, citing "senior officials in the Israeli Defense Ministry," that if Iran attacks Israel directly or through its allies, Israel will eliminate Bashar al-Assad's regime and destroy Assad himself. Meanwhile, Channel 10 of Israeli television reported that a phone conversation on Wednesday night between Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was "tense," and while Mr. Putin asked Mr. Netanyahu not to do anything that would destabilize Syria, the Israeli Prime Minister bluntly responded that we will do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves and our interests in Syria so that everyone knows that Israel's red lines must be respected. According to Barak Ravid from Channel 10, military coordination over the past two and a half years between Israel and Russia regarding Israeli operations in Syria has entered a path of tension. Russia has had a significant military presence in Syria since September 2015; Moscow is concerned about the possibility of a military attack by the United States and its Western allies on Russia in response to chemical attacks attributed to Bashar al-Assad's regime on Sunday this week in the city of Douma, and has deterred the U.S. from this action. Donald Trump has emphasized that punishment for "animal Assad" may be "very close; or not so soon."