Tel Aviv a target if US responds to Soleimani retaliation: ex-IRGC chief

"If [US President Donald] Trump retaliates to Iran’s revenge, we will strike Haifa, Tel Aviv and wipe out Israel," said Mohsen Rezaei.

An Iranian Officer of Revolutionary Guards, with Israel flag drawn on his boots, is seen during graduation ceremony, held for the military cadets in a military academy, in Tehran, Iran June 30, 2018 (photo credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
An Iranian Officer of Revolutionary Guards, with Israel flag drawn on his boots, is seen during graduation ceremony, held for the military cadets in a military academy, in Tehran, Iran June 30, 2018
(photo credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Iran will strike Tel Aviv and Haifa if the US responds to the Islamic Republic's expected retaliation against the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, warned a former chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps who currently serves as Expediency Council Secretary, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar news.
"If [US President Donald] Trump retaliates to Iran’s revenge, we will strike Haifa, Tel Aviv and wipe out Israel," said Mohsen Rezaei on Sunday. The secretary added that Iran is "very serious" about taking revenge and would target all US interests in the region.
"The assassination of the martyr General Soleimani established a new revolution in Iran against America," said Rezaei.
The Expediency Council advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on policy matters and makes decisions on legislative issues between the Iranian Parliament and the Guardian Council.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke three times in the past week about "Iran’s malign influence and threats to the region."
Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with at least 10 other people, were killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad on Thursday.
Omri Nahmias contributed to this report.