By James Marlow
The advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hussein al-Islam, was asked about the Islamic Republic’s launch of missiles from Iran into Syria on Sunday and replied that Israel “is the main enemy” of Iran and should now “worry about its actions.”
Tehran attacked positions in ISIS-controlled Syrian territory who it blames for the recent bombings in its capital. Iran also took the opportunity to hit other Sunni militant groups who oppose Basher al-Assad and his hold on power. This is the first time since the war with Iraq (between 1980 and 1988) that Iran has launched missiles against a foreign country.
In an interview with the Al-Mayadin network, Al-Islam said that the missile strike showed the strength of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and that Iran “will not allow terrorism to determine the future of the region.”
The advisor also condemned “the presence of the Americans in the region” stating “it was illegal and that the US should leave Syria sooner rather than later.”
Al-Islam also claimed that the six missiles launched were “100 percent accurate.” But Israeli sources contradicted this statement, claiming that the Iranians launched 4 or 5 missiles from two different locations into two target groups in Deir ez-Zor and in Palmyra but only one or two of them actually hit their target.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu responded to Al-Islam’s statements during a Likud party meeting. “The army and the security forces are continuously monitoring Iran’s activity in the region.” He added, “This activity is about Iranian attempts to settle scores in Syria and transfer advanced weaponry to the Lebanese Hezbollah.” But Netanyahu also had a message for Iran, saying, “Do not threaten Israel.”
Iran suffered a devastating combined attack on 7 June, in which two security personnel, 10 government employees and five civilians were killed and more than 50 people were injured. Tehran authorities reported that the attackers were Iranian citizens.
Several dozen suspects have been arrested by Iranian authorities since the attack, with Tasnim quoting Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying that Iranian security forces had liquidated the terrorist planner in the parliament and in the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini.