Israel closes diplomatic missions worldwide amid rising tensions with Iran

Shafaq News / Israel closed up to 28 diplomatic missions around the world on Friday following Iran's threat to retaliate against Israeli airstrikes targeting the consular office of the Tehran embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

An Israeli army spokesperson stated that Israel takes every threat against it seriously, but there is no change in the instructions from the Home Front Command leadership.

The spokesperson added that Israel has been in a multi-front war for the past six months, emphasizing the readiness of the forces for all scenarios. They also mentioned the enhancement of readiness in combat units, air defense systems, and the air force.

During the war, Israel intercepted many drones and rockets launched from various areas including Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza. Israel also disrupted location targeting systems.

On Monday, Israel launched what could be considered its "strongest" strike against Iran in months by targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus with six missiles fired by F-35 fighter jets.

The attack resulted in the killing of Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a leader in the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with his deputy and five others.

According to official Iranian reports, this strike is not the first of its kind. "The Israeli military, along with its American ally, has previously targeted numerous Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq, assassinating several individuals."

Amid the recent escalation between the two parties, Iran threatens to retaliate.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed, on Tuesday, that the recent airstrikes targeting the Iranian embassy in Damascus "will not pass without a response."

"Having failed to destroy the will of the resistance front, the Zionist regime (Israel) has put blind assassinations back on its agenda to save itself. It must know that it will never achieve its goals and that this cowardly crime will not go unanswered," Raisi said.

In turn, the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened to "punish" Israel for targeting the Iranian embassy.

Khamenei stated, "The Zionists will regret their crime after the aggression on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, and our men will punish them."

Notably, Israel has conducted previous attacks against Iran's interests and proxies, even before the outbreak of the October 7 war, citing concerns that Iran and its proxies might utilize Syria as "a base for aggression" against it.