IRGC chief: Strike on 'Israel' more successful than expected
5 Min Read
Iran's top generals say that Operation True Promise achieved its intended goals better than expected.
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Chief Commander of Iran's IRGC, Hossein Salami, addresses the funeral ceremony of the victims of a bomb explosion on Jan 3, 2024, in the city of Kerman about 820 km southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, January 5, 2024. (AP)
The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, announced on Sunday that two important Israeli military sites were targeted in Iran's response.
According to Bagheri, the Israeli intelligence's headquarters in "Mount Hermon," and the Nevatim Air Base were destroyed in the operation carried out earlier today, dubbed True Promise.
The first base provided "Israel" with information on the consulate in Damascus, while the F-35 used to carry out the strikes took off from the airbase.
Read more: Iranian response to be tougher if 'Israel' makes any move: Ghalibaf
Bagheri pointed out that the attack, which was carried out with ballistic and cruise missiles, "was planned to target the airbase from which the Israeli aircraft that attacked our consulate departed."
“A considerable number of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles have been used in this operation with well-thought-out tactics and proper planning, as neither the Iron Dome nor the Zionist regime’s missile defense shield could take any significant action against this operation."
"The operation’s purposes have been fulfilled,” the Bagheri declared.
Washington gave green light for attack on consulate
He revealed that the Islamic Republic had the capacity to carry out a missile and drone strike that was "tens of times" larger, but chose not to launch a massive attack and limit it to a punitive operation.
“Their [Israeli] population and economic centers were not hit, so that the criminal and aggressive Zionist army would realize that their action won’t remain unanswered. We are definitely prepared to defend our soil and interests,” the army chief said.
Read more: Global celebrations for IRGC response to 'Israel'
Regarding the United States' role, Bagheri said that Washington knew about the attack on Iran's consulate, and "it gave the green light to the [Israeli] occupation entity" to carry out the strike.
"If the Zionist entity retaliates against Iran, our next response will certainly be much broader than this operation."
The US was warned via Switzerland not to take part or facilitate in any potential Israeli attack on Iran, or else its forces and bases in the region will not be safe, he said.
Read more: US worried about 'Israel's' response to Iran's attack: NBC News
Salami: Response more successful than anticipated
On his part, the commander of the Iranian Revolution Guard Corps, Brigadier General Hussein Salami, said that verified reports showed that the Iranian response has been significantly more successful than anticipated.
Reiterating Bagheri's comments, the IRGC chief said that the Islamic Republic “carried out a limited operation, which was commensurate with the Zionist regime’s evil acts."
Salami said that Tehran is still gathering further intel about the damage caused by the missiles on the targets, "but a number of the impacts, about which we have accurate, documented and field reports on, reveal that the operation [had] greater-than-expected success,”
He emphasized that "It could have been conducted on a wider scope, but we confined to Israeli facilities used to attack our consulate [in Damascus)]”.
Salami: 'Israel' must learn its lesson
The United States, as well as Israeli settlers, officials, and Israeli forces have recognized "how crushing Iran’s attack was," he said.
Salami cautioned the occupation entity to alter its behavior and learn a lesson from Iran's strikes., and warned that any attack on Iran would trigger a much harsher reponse.
He also said that the Iranians have cemented "a new equation with the Zionist entity," which is to respond to any attack on Iranian territories, announcing the start of a "new page of confrontation with the Zionist enemy."
Salami confirmed that "overcoming the Zionist and American defense systems in the region, and hitting the specified targets, was not an easy task," but Iranian military plans "were creative and managed to penetrate the layers of the Zionist defense systems, as well as that of its American and French allies."
The IRGC launched a massive operation late Saturday, targeting the occupation entity with dozens of missiles and drones in response to the attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus last week, which resulted in the martyrdom of seven senior IRGC advisors, including Brigadier General martyr Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the leader of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.
In a statement, the Corps said that the operation targeting "Israel," dubbed "True Promise," came following the "silence and neglect" of international organizations regarding the attack on the consulate and the assassination of its senior members. The statement pointed out that the United Nations Security Council also failed to condemn the Israeli aggression or punish the entity in accordance with Article 7 of the UN Charter.
