Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warns Israel of ‘heavy price’ for attacks on Gaza

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned of a “heavy price” for ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami made the warning in a meeting with Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Tehran on Saturday.

Nakhalah, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, held a series of meetings with top Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Supreme Leader’s top adviser Ali Akbar Velayati.

Tensions have risen in the Occupied Territories since August 1, when Israeli forces detained Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad group, in a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.

In a statement issued by IRGC, Salami said Israel would pay a “heavy price” for its latest round of attacks on Gaza, vowing Iran’s support for Palestinian resistance groups.

“When Palestine gains power and this power becomes more visible, the weakness and inability of the Zionists become more obvious and it becomes more difficult for them to continue working,” Salami said, adding that this “weakness” has put Israel “on the path of destruction.”

He hailed the unity between Palestinian groups as a “glorious fact” that he said, “creates vitality, growth, and authority for the Islamic resistance of Palestine”.

In 2020, Israel signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, a move decried by Palestinians as a “stab in the back.”

Nakhlah expressed confidence that the Palestinian groups, including Islamic Jihad, are “in a good position” and “able to retaliate” against any attacks from Israel.