«The Israeli attack will not go unanswered. Iran's revenge is inevitable and Tehran will decide how and when to carry out the retaliatory operation.” This was stated by the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri, quoted by IRNA. “The recent Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, is a sort of madness and represents the suicide of the Zionist regime,” assured Bagheri, during the funeral in Isfahan of one of the two senior officers killed, Mohmmad Reza Zahedi , commander of an elite Guardian unit responsible for Iran's external operations.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the total toll from the raid is 16 victims. However, Member of Parliament Hossein Jalali stated that war with Israel is not in the country's interest, as Israel seeks to involve Iran in a direct conflict. “However, we will continue to pursue our policy of using Iranian proxies in the region to respond to Israel,” he added.
NYT: “Iranian forces on high alert for attack on Israel”
Iran has placed all its armed forces “on high alert” after taking the decision to “directly respond” to Israel for the April 1 attack on Damascus “to create deterrence”. The New York Times reports, citing two Iranian officials who requested anonymity.