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Senior Iran's military official warns attacks on Israel over general's death in airstrikes

Xinhua, January 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

A senior Iranian military official warned on Tuesday of "overwhelming attacks" against Israel to respond to the killing of a general in a recent airstrike.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General, made the remarks as a response to the killing of an Iranian general in Sunday's airstrikes in the Syrian Golan Heights.

The airstrike, believed to have been carried out by Israel, took place on Sunday in the Syrian Golan Heights, near the town of Quneitra when a helicopter struck a convoy of vehicles, killing six operatives of the Lebanese Shi'ite militant organization Hezbollah.

According to a statement by Hezbollah, the Shi'ite militant organization, a senior commander of IRGC, Mohammed Ali Allhadadi, was also killed in the airstrike, along with several other Iranian soldiers.

Israel refused to comment on the attack. However, Israeli media outlets quoted military sources as saying the target for the attack was terrorists plotting an attack against Israel.

"The IRGC will maintain and deepen its support of the Muslim fighters in the region in preparation for the elimination of Israel from the region," Jafari said to Press TV.

The killing of Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi revealed that "we should not abort Jihad," he said, adding that "The Zionists should expect overwhelming attacks."

"Several fighters from Hezbollah along with Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi were visiting Quneitra and got attacked by an Israeli military helicopter," the IRGC said in a statement Monday.

Allahdadi had traveled to Syria on consultant basis and to assist the Syrian government combat the terrorists, said the statement.

However, according to media report, a senior Israeli security source said on Tuesday that the killed Iranian general in the airstrike was not an intended target, adding that Israek was attacking only low-ranking guerrillas.

So far, Israel has still not officially confirmed that it has carried out Sunday's aerial bombing.

Israel has struck inside Syria several times since the start of the Syrian civil war, mostly destroying weaponry such as missiles that Israeli officials said were to be sent to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Endit