Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Gen. Hossein Salami suggested on Tuesday expanding battlefronts against Israel and blocking off the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Israel’s war on Gaza has heightened regional tensions, threatening the eruption of a direct war between it and Iran.
Salami made his remarks during a ceremony honoring General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was in charge of IRGC operations in Syria and Lebanon. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus last month.
In retaliation, IRGC launched an unprecedented rocket and drone attack from Iran on April 13. Israel said the operation failed almost entirely. It then responded with a limited strike on a radar system near sensitive nuclear sites in central Iran.
Despite Israeli claims, Salami insisted the IRGC attack was a “success”, saying a “limited strike” exposed the region’s vulnerability despite the deployment of heavy air defense systems backed by the US, UK, France, and regional powers.
Moreover, Salami criticized the US regional presence, suggesting regional countries should unite in “jihad” against “tyrants” because they share a common enemy and destiny.
The top commander said Iran is determined to “close the way” for its “enemy” on the eastern flank of the Mediterranean Sea and “expand the battlefield”.
Salami also highlighted the role of the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guard’s external arm, saying it is responsible for countering enemy infiltration into the region and defending the security of Iran and regional countries.
This isn’t the first time such threats have been made. In December, IRGC General Coordinator Mohammad Reza Naghdi threatened to close off the Mediterranean and other waterways “if the US and its allies continued to commit crimes in Gaza.”
