Iran could strike within Israel and target Israelis abroad after an air strike that killed two of its military leaders, an expert has claimed.
Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds Force, and Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, a deputy commander in the Quds Force, both died after an air strike on the Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
An Israeli spokesperson refused to comment on the claims the country was behind the attack, but Tehran has vowed to take revenge.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said: “We consider this aggression to have violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties.
“Benjamin Netanyahu has completely lost his mental balance due to the successive failures in Gaza and his failure to achieve his Zionist goals.”
Experts are now warning that Iran could use its proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to launch strikes on Israel’s territory.
READ MORE: Israel ‘kills Iran Revolutionary Guard leader’ in fiery airstrike
He said: “Khamenei’s policies over the years reflect cowardice. The Iranian pattern of reaction is such that he escalates when he feels that the other side is afraid of him, and backs down when the other side shows deterrence.
“In the attack on an official Iranian government target in Damascus, Israel escalated against Iran, telling Iran that Israel will not continue with the proxy game so commonly played by Iran.
“The Israeli escalation was to serve as a warning: we are ready for battle with you, Iran, directly, at this time, even though we are at war in both Gaza and Lebanon.
“Khamenei will not react to the Israeli escalation by escalating against an Israeli target by Iran itself. Rather, he will continue with the proxy game, targeting Israel by the Houthis, Hezbollah and possibly by terrorists in the West. He does not need and is not ready for an all-out war with Israel at this time.”
