The October 7 massacre in southern Israel was a response to the 2020 assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani, according to Al Jazeera citing an IRGC statement on Wednesday morning.
عاجل | الحرس الثوري الإيراني: عملية طوفان الأقصى كانت إحدى الردود على اغتيال قاسم سليماني
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The rest of the IRGC statement addressed the assassination of a senior IRGC adviser in Damascus on Monday, which local security sources and Iranian state media claimed was carried out by Israel.
The assassination was "an act of terrorism," according to the IRGC statement as cited by Haaretz.
Hamas rejected Iran's statement, saying:
"Hamas denies the validity of the remarks given by the spokesperson of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the operation of the Flood of al-Aqsa and its motives.
"We have repeatedly confirmed the motives and reasons for the operation of the Flood of al-Aqsa, and foremost are the dangers that threaten al-Aqsa Mosque.
"We also confirm that all acts of Palestinian resistance come in response to the Zionist occupation and its ongoing aggression against our people and our holy sites."
IDF statement after Damascus assassination
"I will not comment on various actions we take. The IDF is working together with other security organizations throughout the Middle East, within the borders of the state, around the borders of the state," Herzi Halevi told reporters near Gaza when asked about the strike.
"We take whatever action necessary to make it very clear that we are very determined to defend the country, are willing to go far," Chief of the General Staff Halevi said.
Sayyed Razi Mousavi
The adviser, known as Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran. The Revolutionary Guards said Israel would suffer for killing Mousavi, who held the Guards' rank of brigadier-general.
"Undoubtedly, the usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement read on state TV. "This action is another sign of frustration, helplessness, and inability of the occupying Zionist regime."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday evening, warning that Tehran "reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place to the assassination" of Mousavi.
Tehran added that the suspected assassination "is a sinful and cowardly act and a sign of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime." Hezbollah released a statement on Monday night mourning the death of the IRGC official, whom the Lebanese terrorist organization called "one of the best brothers who worked to support the Islamic resistance in Lebanon for decades."
This is a developing story.