Sayyed Khamenei: Israel will be punished for its behavior

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed his threat to punish Israel for attacking the Iranian consulate compound in Syria.

The Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria, resulted in the death of at least 13 individuals, including Senior Revolutionary Guards commander Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

Speaking at the Eid al-Fitr occasion, the Iranian top leader said, "The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished, and it will be punished."

He stated, "Consulates and embassies are considered sovereign territories of the countries they represent, so when they attacked the consulate, it was tantamount to attacking our own sovereign land."

Last week, Sayyid Khamenei warned Israel that it would regret its actions following the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus. 

Khamenei posted on X platform in Hebrew, declaring that Israel "will regret, God willing, its aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus."

In another post, Khamenei declared that Israel "will receive a slap" for its attack in Syria.

In response to the attack on the Iranian consulate, Iranian officials pledged a decisive response to what they labeled a "crime," reaffirming their commitment to retaliate at the appropriate time and place.

Ismail Kothari, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, stated, "multiple parties within the resistance front are prepared to respond to the Israeli strike."

Media reports in Israel indicated that Tel Aviv is bolstering security measures in anticipation of Iran's response to the consulate strike, with expectations that Tehran has informed Hezbollah in Lebanon of its planned retaliation.

Notably, Israel has conducted previous attacks on Aleppo and the Syrian capital, Damascus, 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.

The recent attacks appeared to be a "pressure tactic," primarily against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel's actual nightmare, Hezbollah, is one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East that has been deeply involved in intense, near-daily cross-border fighting with Israel since October 7, marking the most significant escalation since the 2006 war.

So far, approximately 260 Hezbollah members have been killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. Conversely, the group has targeted Israel with heavy missiles, resulting in the deaths of soldiers and the destruction of hundreds of military telecommunication towers.