Commander of Iran’s Air Force: Eagerly Ready to Wipe Out Israel

The commander of Iran’s air force spoke of being “eagerly” prepared for battle with Israel and the “erasure” of the country from the earth. Israel’s prime minister, referring to these statements, said “full responsibility” for the consequences of threats lies with those making the threats.

Aziz Nasirzadeh, commander of the Islamic Republic’s air force, said on Monday, the first of Bahman (January 21) that young members of Iran’s air force are “fully prepared to fight the Zionist regime and erase them from the earth.”

Officials of the Islamic Republic refer to Israel using terms such as “occupying regime” or “Zionist regime.”

Although Nasirzadeh’s threatening remarks were not a direct response to Israel’s attack on Quds Force positions in Syria, they were released shortly after news of the attack was announced.

Brigadier General Nasirzadeh also stated in an interview with the “Young Journalists Club” news agency that one of the “objectives” of Iran’s air force was the “long-range and long-endurance nature of ammunition” and said: “We are working to destroy targets from distances exceeding a thousand kilometers.”

This senior Iranian military commander added: “By holding the Defenders of the Guardianship exercises, we assure the Iranian people that we are prepared to respond to any threat, and the enemy will certainly not dare to attack our country, because it constantly observes and witnesses our high capabilities and power.”

Nasirzadeh emphasized that aviation students in Iran “are very eager to quickly enter tactical squadrons and participate in combat operations and exercises.”

The commander of the Islamic Republic’s air force ultimately said: “Our current and future generations are eagerly and fully prepared to fight the Zionist regime and erase them from the earth. Our future generations are vigorously learning the necessary knowledge for the promised day and the destruction of Israel.”

The Israeli army announced on the morning of Monday, the first of Bahman, that it had targeted Quds Force positions (the overseas arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) in Syria. The Israeli army described the recent attack as a response to a missile launch by the Quds Force toward the occupied Golan Heights. News agencies, citing the London-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory, reported that 11 people were killed in these attacks, writing that two of the killed were Syrian citizens and 9 were “foreigners.”

This is one of the rare occasions when Israel formally announces its attacks on Iranian positions on Syrian territory. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, unexpectedly acknowledged on December 14 that Israel had targeted hundreds of times targets belonging to Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria while confirming his country’s attack on “Iranian weapons depots at Damascus International Airport.” Israel had previously remained silent, neither formally confirming nor denying its attacks on these positions.

Netanyahu’s Reference to Nasirzadeh’s Threatening Remarks

Netanyahu announced on Monday, shortly after the threatening remarks by the commander of the Islamic Republic’s air force, that Israel’s recent airstrikes on Syria were primarily aimed at Iranian military positions. He also warned that the Islamic Republic would face the consequences of threatening Israel.

According to the German news agency, Netanyahu also referred to today’s statements by the commander of the Islamic Republic’s air force, regarding them as evidence of threats to Israel’s existence by Iranian officials.

According to Reuters, Israel’s prime minister emphasized: “We will take action against both Iran and Syrian forces that support Iranian hostility.” Netanyahu added: “We will strike anyone who intends to harm us. Whoever threatens us with destruction will bear full responsibility.”

Netanyahu also emphasized that the “strong strike” by the Israeli air force on Iranian positions in Syria was, according to him, in response to Iran’s missile launch toward the country.

Israel’s prime minister said on December 25 during a ceremony in Tel Aviv: “I heard yesterday that Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran has no military presence in Syria and only advises them. So let me advise them, leave there [Syria] as soon as possible, because we will undoubtedly and mercilessly continue our firm policy of attacking, as we promised and are carrying out.”

Israel Threatened with “Precision Missiles”

One day after these remarks, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the overall commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a sharp response to Netanyahu’s statements, while emphasizing the “Islamic Republic’s will to preserve what it has in Syria,” threatened Israel with “retaliation” and said: “You know well that the power and might of Iran’s military units is such that if you see the presence of even one of them in Syria, you will empty your bowels out of fear.” The overall commander of the Revolutionary Guard also said: “Fear the day when Iran’s precision missiles rain down roaring on your heads and take revenge for all the innocent blood of the oppressed Muslims of the region from you.”

The commander of the Islamic Republic’s air force mentioned in today’s statements the “long-range and long-endurance nature of ammunition” as one of Iran’s air force objectives at a time when the United States and Israel have characterized the Islamic Republic’s missile and space program as a cover for Tehran’s primary goal of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, which they consider a threat to their interests. Several European countries also strongly criticize Iran’s missile program.

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, on December 25, referring to the Islamic Republic’s recent test for launching the “Payam” satellite into space, accused Iran of attempting to acquire threatening missile capabilities.

However, the Islamic Republic, despite U.S. warnings, announced the continuation of Iran’s missile and space program. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, previously said regarding the Islamic Republic’s missile program: “There is no international law prohibiting this program.”

Iran’s foreign minister also faced severe domestic criticism some time ago for an interview with the French weekly Le Point. In this interview, Zarif claimed that Iran’s government has never sought to destroy any country and that Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, did not say that “we will destroy Israel,” but rather said that Israel itself would face this fate through “the policies it pursues.”

The government newspaper Kayhan, on December 3, in response to these statements, wrote to Zarif: “Do not distort! The destruction of Israel is the official policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The leader of the Islamic Republic has also emphasized that Israel will “not see the next 25 years.” Ali Khamenei, on December 10, claimed the realization of the “formation of a Palestinian government in Tel Aviv” and said that “pressures” would not be able to stop the Islamic Republic’s support for “resistance groups.”

Source: DW