In Iran, thousands have gathered to remember the military killed in an airstrike attributed to Israel on the Iranian embassy in Syria. Retaliation was demanded during demonstrations.
On the occasion of the so-called Al-Kuds Day, thousands of government supporters took to the streets in anti-Israel demonstrations in Iran. At the same time, a funeral procession began in the capital Tehran for the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed in Syria, who are to be buried today.
On Monday, two brigadier generals and five other members of the IRGC were killed in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus.
Elite unit for Foreign assignments met
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, together with the regular army, form Iran’s armed forces and are considered the most powerful institution in the country. The Al-Kuds Brigade, in turn, is their elite unit for foreign operations.
One of the dead Iranians was Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Sahedi, a top commander of the Quds Force. Sahedi served in the Palestinian territories, Syria and Lebanon, among other places.
Israel is believed to be responsible for the attack. There was no comment from the Israeli side.
Calls for retribution
Today’s protests and funeral procession were accompanied by calls for retaliation. Protesters in Tehran chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Many people waved Iranian and Palestinian flags and flags of the Lebanese, pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. Iranian state television showed images of gatherings in other cities across the country.
The head of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, reiterated in a speech Tehran’s determination to “punish” Israel for the attack in Syria. Israel cannot escape the consequences of “the evil it has committed,” Salami said. The country “knows exactly what will happen.”
Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had also threatened retaliation. “The evil regime will be punished by our brave men,” he said a day after the airstrike.
How and when Iran will react is still completely open. Observers interpret Khamenei’s statements, who is also head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, to mean that military action by Iran could take place.
Al-Kuds Day: Against the existence of Israel
The protests and memorial service take place on the so-called Al-Kuds Day. Al Kuds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. The state-organized day of action has been celebrated every year since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan. It is directed against the existence of Israel and calls for the conquest of Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of government supporters traditionally gather every year.
Since the 1979 revolution, the USA and Israel have been considered archenemies of the Islamic Republic. After the war in the Middle East began almost six months ago, tensions between Israel and Iran have increased. The Jewish state is facing fire on multiple fronts following attacks by Iran-aligned militias.