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Iran’s leaders have vowed to avenge the deadly April 1 attack on the construction of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
By Casandra Vinograd
Reporting from Jerusalem
Iran and Israel exchanged new threats on Wednesday, amid intense considerations over how and when Tehran will retaliate for an Israeli strike in Syria last week that killed several senior Iranian commanders.
Iran’s leaders have continually vowed to avenge the fatal April 1 attack on the construction of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Officials have said they are preparing for a conceivable Iranian response, and Israel has put its military on alert.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated his threats of retaliation in a speech on Wednesday marking Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Attacking an embassy building, he said, “means they attacked our soil. “”.
“The evil regime has made a mistake and it will have to be punished and it will be punished,” he added, according to IRNA, the official news agency.
The reaction of Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz was not long in coming: “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” he wrote in Farsi in X.
Israel has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack in Damascus, but several Israeli officials told the New York Times.
Analysts warn that while either side will most likely need to start a war, any miscalculation could have repercussions and lead to a wider regional escalation.
Israel has been exchanging fire with Iranian-backed militant teams since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 sparked war in Gaza.
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