Iran threatens Britain for defending Israel in April attack
Britain will pay the price for helping to defend Israel from Iranian missiles and suicide drones, a top general from the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned.
“All criminals must understand that their actions and crimes are recorded,” said Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, who is the commander of the IRGC’s elite Quds force responsible for covert operations across the Middle East.
“France, Germany, and England should not think that they brought their planes that night and the issue was resolved and gone,” he added, referring to Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel.
“While that night has passed, their account remains in place,” Brig Gen Qaani warned, using a Persian idiom implying that punishment is coming.
It is the first time an official from the Islamic Republic has directly threatened Britain and other Western nations since the recent surge of tensions in the Middle East.
On April 13, Iran fired some 300 suicide drones and missiles at Israel, almost all of which were shot down by the US, UK and Israel.
Tehran’s attack came in retaliation after a suspected Israeli strike on Iran’s Damascus consulate on April 1 killed seven high-ranking members of the IRGC. They were with members of Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian terror group, at the compound when the attack occurred, sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Telegraph.
As soon as Iran launched the unprecedented mass drone and missile attack against Israel, four RAF Typhoons stationed in Cyprus were swiftly scrambled.
The Typhoon FGR4 multi-role fighter jets were deployed over Iraq and Syria to defend Israel, intercepting and shooting down approximately 10 to 20 Shahed suicide drones.
“Throughout the operation, over 200 planes filled the skies of the region. This area, where your brothers operated, was the most heavily defended airspace in the world,” Brig Gen Qaani said.
“The success of the operation does not only hinge on the missiles and drones that reached the occupied lands. There are numerous intricacies and undisclosed details embedded within this operation, which will require extensive analysis to unravel,” he added.
The Islamic Republic has lauded the operation as a triumph, with officials and regime supporters leveraging the attack for domestic political gains.
Since the attack, weekly gatherings have been taking place after Friday prayers throughout Iran, with people chanting “Thanks Sepah [IRGC]” and “Death to Israel.”
Israel responded to Iran’s attack by striking a radar installation at a military base in central Iran, an action that the Islamic Republic did not officially acknowledge.
The Israeli strike was directed at a sensitive military base near the central city of Isfahan, which also houses a significant missile production complex, and several nuclear sites.
