Iran's Supreme Leader Reaffirms Retaliation for Israel's Consulate Attack

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has once again threatened to "punish" Israel as he said that last week's attack in Damascus was a direct aggression against Iran.

"Consulates and embassy institutions in any given country are deemed as the sovereign territory of that nation," he said in his Eid al-Fitr sermon Wednesday.

"Therefore, an attack on our consulate equates to an attack on our own soil," he added.

Khamenei, both in his Eid al-Fitr address and earlier in his condolence message, stressed the necessity of "punishing" Israel for the deaths of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, including two senior commanders, in the attack attributed to Israel.

"The evil regime must be punished, and it will be punished," he warned. 

While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack, some Israeli officials said that the targeted building housed the IRGC Quds Force headquarters and was a "legitimate target."

The Israeli military also stopped allowing leaves for combat units on Thursday due to worries about a potential retaliatory attack by Iran.

The attack is seen as a major strike on Iranian targets in Syria, raising regional tensions.

Iran's network of proxies in the region, known as "the axis of resistance," has engaged in skirmishes with Israel and launched attacks on US forces and bases across the Middle East since October.