• The spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Gen. Ramezan Sharif, speaks to journalists at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, May 28, 2019. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, affirmed on Wednesday, that, as previously stated by Hamas leaders, the reasons behind launching Operation Al-Aqsa Flood are injustice, crimes, the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestine for more than 70 years, the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and sanctities, and the imposed siege on the Palestinian people, along with the arrest of thousands of Palestinians.

Sharif reiterated that Al-Aqsa Flood is a "100% Palestinian operation."

"There is no doubt that a part of the historical victory of Al-Aqsa Flood can be attributed to the jihad and efforts of martyr Qassem Soleimani," General Sharif indicated.

Earlier on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the IRGC emphasized in a press statement that his country's retaliation for the Israeli assassination of IRGC advisor martyr Seyyed Razi Mousavi "will deal a blow to the Zionists," stressing that it will not be a media stunt.

Sharif underscored that the Israeli occupation "will not be safe from Iranian retaliation for the blood of the martyr Commander Mousavi."

He also said that "Israel seeks to shift the battlefield and drag the United States into a broader war," adding that the crime of assassinating Mousavi comes as a result of "Israel's" defeat in Gaza and its attempt to divert attention from its failure.

Read more: Iran takes Mousavi assassination to UN, warns of decisive response