Khamenei Representative: "Tel Aviv And Haifa Will Be Flattened"

Khamenei representative in the Qods force, Ali Shirazi

A high-ranking representative of Iran's supreme leader has said that if Israel gives Iran an excuse, “Tel Aviv and Haifa will be flattened”.

Ali Shirazi, ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in the IRGC Qods force, was quoted in the Iranian media on April 12, in what appears to be a response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings to Iran a day earlier.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Iran not to test Israel and compared Tehran to Nazi Germany on the day Israel commemorated the murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.

"I have a message to the Iranian rulers: do not test the determination of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said on April 11 at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. "These are not empty words," he said.

But Shirazi in an apparent response to the Israeli leader was quoted as saying, “Israel should be careful about its conduct. If it wants to extend its villainous existence for a few more days it should give up foolishness”.

Qods force is Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ arm to project Iranian military and intelligence influence in the region and beyond. Its commander Qassem Soleimani has often expressed threatened Israel with extinction or destruction.

The latest round of threats and counter-threats between Israel and the Islamic Republic ensued when on April 9 missiles hit a Syrian base in Homs province, killing seven Iranian servicemen. Syria blamed Israel for the bombing but Jerusalem has not taken credit for the attack.

Ali Shirazi, ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in the IRGC Qods force, was quoted in the Iranian media on April 12, in what appears to be a response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings to Iran a day earlier.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned Iran not to test Israel and compared Tehran to Nazi Germany on the day Israel commemorated the murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.

"I have a message to the Iranian rulers: do not test the determination of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said on April 11 at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. "These are not empty words," he said.

But Shirazi in an apparent response to the Israeli leader was quoted as saying, “Israel should be careful about its conduct. If it wants to extend its villainous existence for a few more days it should give up foolishness”.

Qods force is Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ arm to project Iranian military and intelligence influence in the region and beyond. Its commander Qassem Soleimani has often expressed threatened Israel with extinction or destruction.

The latest round of threats and counter-threats between Israel and the Islamic Republic ensued when on April 9 missiles hit a Syrian base in Homs province, killing seven Iranian servicemen. Syria blamed Israel for the bombing but Jerusalem has not taken credit for the attack.