Senior Iranian military commanders repeated threats made over the past few weeks
that Tehran will destroy Israel if it launches an attack on Iran either with or
without the US.
Brig.-Gen. Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps’s aerospace division, told state-owned Al-Alam TV that
an Israeli strike on Iran could “trigger World War III.”
“It is
impossible to imagine an independent war between Iran and the US or the Zionist
regime [Israel],” he said, adding that other countries in the region would
likely side with Iran or Israel in case of war.
Iran would target US
bases in the region should Israel attack, Hajizadeh added.
Referring to a
deadly attack by Taliban gunmen against a US Marine base in southern Afghanistan
earlier this month, in which five aircraft were destroyed, Hajizadeh warned that
an attack by Israel on Iran could extend war to the region.
“One should
not imagine that the countries in the region would declare neutrality if a war
breaks out,” he said according to a report by Iran’s Press TV.
Also on
Sunday, Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Brig.-Gen. Hossein Salami
said Iran is no longer concerned about threats from Israel.
“We have
crossed the line of worrying about threats from the Zionist Regime [Israel],”
Salami said according to Sepah News, the Revolutionary Guard’s official news
site. He added that in its wars over the last decade Israel has encountered
harsh retaliation from the Islamic Republic’s “regional branches” and is no
longer considered a threat to Iran.
“If the Zionists really do strike
Iran, it would provide a historic opportunity for the Islamic Revolution to wipe
[Israel] off the face of the earth,” he said adding that Iran would then
“reclaim the lands occupied by Israel for the Palestinians.” Salami added that
an infantry battalion would be able to “break Israel’s back” within a
day.
“The Regime [Israel] is only 24 kilometers wide in parts,” he
explained.
Salami said that Iran was known as a great power and was
capable of fighting on many fronts.
“We do not intend to start a war, but
if someone starts a war against us, we will respond offensively and strike
everywhere and will not stop,” he added, noting that the Revolutionary Guard’s
strategies and tactics are offensive, not defensive, in nature.
“Our
enemy will begin the war, but we will be the ones to end it,” he
added.
Salami said that Iran had gained knowledge in weapons
manufacturing, including modern missile technology.
The Islamic Republic
has missiles capable of destroying enemy bases in the region, he
added.
Referring to Iran’s recent announcements of new military
developments, Salami noted that Iran had unveiled its Ra’ad (“Thunder”) air
defense system during its annual military parade on Friday.
The Ra’ad
system is equipped with domestically made Taer (“Bird”) missiles, which have a
range of 50 kilometers and can hit targets at 22,000 meters, according to the
Iranian state media.