Israel’s foreign minister has threatened to attack Iran if Tehran launches a retaliatory strike from its territory in response to Israel attacking the Iranian embassy in Syria last week.
The April 1 attack on the Iranian embassy by Israeli warplanes killed seven military generals and officers.
“If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran,” Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, wrote in an X post on Wednesday. The warning was written in Farsi and tagged Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. اگر ایران از خاک خود حمله کند، اسرائیل واکنش نشان داده و در ایران حمله خواهد کرد @khamenei_ir
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 10, 2024
Khamenei had said earlier on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for the attack in Syria.
"When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil," Khamenei said in a speech for the end of Ramadan. "The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be."
Khamenei also posted about Israel multiple times on X, "When the Zionist regime attacks an Iranian consulate in Syria, it is as if it has attacked Iranian soil. That malicious regime has made a wrong move. It should be punished, and it will be punished." The post was written in English. When the Zionist regime attacks an Iranian consulate in Syria, it is as if it has attacked Iranian soil. That malicious regime has made a wrong move. It should be punished, and it will be punished. May God curse the usurping Zionist regime, which not only didn't stop their massacre of women, children, and defenseless people during the month of Ramadan but it even intensified the killing.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) April 10, 2024
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) April 10, 2024
In another post, the Iranian leader wrote, "May God curse the usurping Zionist regime, which not only didn't stop their massacre of women, children, and defenseless people during the month of Ramadan but it even intensified the killing."
Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the attack, but the New York Times reported on April 1: