TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Tehran said Tuesday it sent a warning to Israel through the United States over the recent killing of an Iranian general in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The Jan. 18 strike in the Syrian-controlled part of the disputed Golan Heights killed Iranian Gen. Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guard, along with six Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.
Both Iran and the militant Hezbollah group, close allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, blamed Israel, which is believed to have been behind a number of airstrikes in Syria in recent years. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the airstrike.
"We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their act," IRNA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying. Israel had "crossed our red lines," he added.
The deputy foreign minister said Iran sent the message through diplomatic channels to U.S. officials, to hand over to Israel. He did not elaborate.
Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since after Iranian militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held Americans there hostage for 444 days in 1979.
The two nations normally exchange diplomatic messages through the Swiss embassy, which looks after U.S. interests in Iran. But diplomats from both countries also meet directly on other occasions — such as the current negotiations to limit the scope of the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for easing harsh international sanctions against Tehran.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would not comment on private diplomatic talks with Iran, beyond saying that no threat to Israel was delivered in the latest round nuclear talks between U.S. and Iranian officials.
"We absolutely condemn any such threats, that come in any form," Psaki told reporters.
There was no official comment in Israel over the Iranian report.
Amirabdollahian spoke during a commemoration Tuesday for the Iranian general. The Guard's acting commander, Gen. Hossein Salami, said Iran will soon retaliate for his death.
"We tell them (Israelis to) await retaliation but we will decide about its timing, place and the strength," Salami said at the ceremony.
Iran has repeatedly vowed to retaliate against any attacks by Israel or Western powers in recent years. Though it is unlikely to respond militarily, it may step up the support it already provides to armed groups like the Palestinian Hamas and the Hezbollah movement.
Allahdadi was one of the highest ranking Iranian officers known to have been killed abroad in decades. Another senior Guard commander, Brig. Gen. Hamid Taqavi, was killed during a battle against the Islamic State extremist group in Samarra, Iraq, last month.
Shiite-majority Iran says it has sent military advisers to assist Syria and Iraq in battling Sunni extremist groups, but Tehran has denied sending combat forces.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. 2,282 Comments My Comments Comment Guidelines Popular Now Newest Oldest Most Replied
[Umar] Umar 17 hours ago 223 207
Soon Israel will succeed in trapping America into the Hell Fire of War with Iran. Israel will cause the most harm and worst disaster to America ever, past, present or future. This will be proof for the fact that there is a Heavenly Prohibition for the Children of Israel to ever have an independent state. This will also be the price for America to pay for supporting a heavenly prohibited state. By Allah, this will be the case.
The Root Cause of all the bloodsheds and turmoil in the world today can be traced back to ISRAEL. Do you know why?
Posted by william melissa i am Jewish, and ali is correct, we(Jews) made a pact with g_D if you were Jewish you would understand and not insult the man. We Jews made a pact with g_d to only return to Israel when g_d returns and rebuilds the temple. The reason why Jewish people try desperately to forget the pact is because most Jews consider themselves reform, which just means i want to call myself Jewish but not follow the commandments or the torah. CASE CLOSED.
Posted by Everyman • I am not religious but this is the truth and I learned it in parochial school. The Jews were cast to the 4 winds, never to be a nation but a nation within nations, never to have a land of their own. The Worst Enemies of the Jews are the Jews
Posted by Abram The Zionists were warned, in the Jewish Torah, not to form a state - the warning which the Euro-Zionist-wannabes threw out the window and challenged the Supreme Order in 1948, with the ongoing problematic experiment that is wreaking havoc on innocent and helpless Palestinian people. Please revisit the Torah to confirm this fact
The Zionist Jews have created a revolt against the Lord with the establishment of their state and it exists by lies thefts and murder. Satan leads them into the trap and no one can stop their terrible destiny. Before destruction they will become the most evil nation in the history of the world.
Satan will disfigure God's chosen by elevating them in their sins. With their backs to God they have become the synagogue of Satan. Only a handful will be saved and the strangers will inherit the Holy Land with the remainders of the Jewish people. Read Ezekiel those from Lebanon who are trying to exterminate the 9/11 Al-Qaeda terrorists Al-Nusra Front operating on its border in the Golan Heights? Why also does our wonderful friend Israel never attacks the ISIS terrorists either?
Poster Comment:
[richardd] 100 82 This is not Iran's first rodeo. Keep in mind both Russia and China are now leaning towards supporting Iran. "The Iran–Iraq War lasted from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the 20th century." "Saudi Arabia was said to provide Iraq with $1 billion US/month starting in mid-1982. The United States and west European countries began to support the Iraqis. Saddam Hussein was given diplomatic, monetary, political, and military support by the US, including massive loans, political clout, and intelligence on the Iranian deployments using American spy satellites. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan removed Iraq from the list of countries "supporting terrorism", and sold weapons such as howitzers to Iraq via Jordan and Israel. France sold Iraq millions of dollars worth of weapons, including Gazelle helicopters, Mirage F-1 fighters, and Exocet missiles. Both the United States and West Germany sold Iraq pesticides and poisions that would be used to create their infamous and illegal chemical weapons, and other weapons, such as Roland missiles, while the US and Great Britain blocked any UN resolutions against Iraqi chemical weapons uses, and even accusing Iran of using them as well. The US also gave intelligence to the Iraqis which allowed them the coordinate their attacks against the Iranians, often using chemical weapons. At the same time, the Soviet Union, angered with Iran purging and destroying of Iran's nation communist party (Tudeh Party), resumed massive shipments of weapons to Iraq again. The Iraqi air force was speedily rearmed with Soviet and French fighter jets and helicopters. Iraq also bought weapons such as AK-47's and RPG's from the Chinese. The depleted tank forces were replenished with Soviet tanks, and the Iraqis were rearmed in the face of renewed Iranian attacks. Despite the fact that Iraq had started the war, Iran was portrayed as the aggressor, and would seen as such until the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War (when Iraq would be condemned). " Iran won the war.