Iran vows revenge after deadly Israeli strike

A militia group backed by Tehran and Hezbollah has issued a statement warning Israel of a “very harsh” response.

By Aryeh Savir/TPS and World Israel News Staff

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a strike in the Palmyra area in Syria on Wednesday night, killing one soldier and wounding three others, Syria’s stated media reported.

Syria’s official SANA news reported that the IAF carried out an air attack from the direction of the Al-Tanf area towards the Palmyra area in the countryside of Homs, targeting a communications tower and other targets surrounding it, which led to the death of a soldier and the wounding of three others, and some material damage.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has assists inside Syria, reported hearing several explosions in the region of T4 military airbase in the eastern countryside of Homs, caused by IAF airstrikes conducted from over the Iraqi-Syria-Jordan border triangle.

The airstrikes hit several Iranian-backed militias’ centers, including a training center and a communication tower, a few kilometers to the east of T4 airbase and to the west of Palmyra city.

Following the attack, several media outlets in Syria affiliated with Iran and Hezbollah, cited by Ynet, reported that a militia group backed by Tehran and Hassan Nasrallah’s Lebanon-based terror organization, issued a statement warning Israel of a “very harsh” response.

The group “has made the decision to respond to the Israeli-American attack against Syria’s allies as an act of revenge for the injured and the deceased. The response will be very harsh,” the statement read.

“We’ve been subject to ongoing attacks carried out by the Israeli and American enemies over the years, meant to drag us to battles we’re not currently interested in,” the statement added.

The Tiyas Airbase, Syria’s largest, is home to Iranian forces, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization and Syrian regime forces, and has been the target of multiple Israeli attacks in recent years.

This attack occurred just days after the IAF reportedly struck the T4 airbase in Syria on Friday night, which resulted in the death of two militiamen, members of an Iranian-backed group, and the injuring of several others.

In this attack, the IAF caused substantial material damage to a training center where militiamen receive training on the use of drones.

The IDF, as in most previous incidents, has remained silent on the reports.

In general, Iran’s military build-up in Syria remains a red line for Israel. The Israeli Air Force has carried out thousands of attacks to thwart the Iranian entrenchment in the war-torn country.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly declared that they will not tolerate an Iranian threat on its northern border with Syria and will take all necessary measures to ensure that such a menace does not emerge.