April 8, 2024 (EIRNS)—Tensions between Iran and Israel remain sky high in anticipation of some kind of Iranian response to Israel’s April 1 destruction of Iran’s consulate building in Damascus, Syria. In Iranian minds, the U.S. is closely linked to that event. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Al Jazeera yesterday that the missiles and aircraft used to attack the consulate were U.S.-made, furthering fears that the country could attempt to retaliate against the U.S. and its assets in the Middle East. “Our consulate in Damascus was targeted using American fighters and missiles,” he said, reported the U.K. tabloid The Mirror. Amir-Abdollahian also reportedly stated that the “refusal of Washington, London and Paris to condemn the consulate attack is evidence of support for the Zionist entity’s adventures and expansion of the conflict.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said yesterday that the IDF is fully prepared for whatever Iran might do. “There is no reason to panic, but there is also no room for complacency. We must be aware of the situation, and always ready,” Halevi said, Times of Israel reported. “IDF troops are prepared and operating in all arenas, in the south, in the north, in Judea and Samaria [as Israel calls the West Bank] and in more distant arenas. The IDF also knows how to deal with Iran, in attack and defense,” he warned. “We prepared for this, we have good defense systems, we know how to act powerfully against Iran in places near and far. We work in cooperation with the U.S. and strategic partners in the region.”