Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami (pictured) warned Israel of “bitter consequences” after the recent attack on Iran, local media reported on Monday, citing a letter that Salami sent to Iranian Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi. Salami noted that Israel “failed to achieve its ominous goals,” adding that its Saturday’s attack on Iran was a sign of “miscalculation and helplessness.” He further said that “bitter consequences will be unimaginable” for Israel as it fights Iran-backed militant groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Salami’s comments come after Israel launched precise strikes on military sites in Iran’s capital Tehran and other cities in the country.
US fighter jets strike Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troops
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. fighter jets launched airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. The strikes reflect the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas, while also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the strikes near Boukamal by F-16 and F-15 fighter aircraft targeted a weapons storage facility and ammunition storage facility used by the IRGC and affiliated groups. “Both facilities were destroyed,” he said. “We currently assess there were no casualties in the strikes.” A senior U.S. military official said there had been Iranian-aligned militia and IRGC personnel on the base and no civilians. The official would not say how many munitions were launched by the jets. A senior defense official said the sites were chosen because the IRGC stores the types of munitions there that were used in the strikes against U.S. bases and troops. The two officials briefed reporters after the strikes on condition of anonymity to provide details on the mission that had not yet been made public. And the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for several Iran-backed groups, said fighters attacked al-Assad airbase in western Iraq with a suicide drone. U.S. officials said it was shot down a few kilometers away and did not hit the base. The retaliatory strikes came as no surprise. Officials at the Pentagon and the White House have made it clear for the past week that the U.S. would respond, with Ryder saying again Thursday that it would be “at the time and place of our choosing.” The latest spate of strikes by the Iranian-linked groups came in the wake of a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel nearly three weeks ago, but Israel has denied responsibility for the al-Ahli hospital blast and the U.S. has said its intelligence assessment found that Tel Aviv was not to blame. NN: This sounds like escalation to me Not peace