Iranian military leaders say they "are ready for war" with Israel and issued renewed threats to burn Tel Aviv to the ground "very soon," according to comments made during a military demonstration in Tehran.
"We are ready for war, tell Zion," one unnamed speaker was quoted as saying during the May 20 military parade organized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the country's paramilitary fighting force that has murdered scores of Americans. "No trace will be left of the demon. ... Not a single house will be left standing in Tel Aviv."
"We will raze Haifa and Tel Aviv to the ground," said another speaker, according to a translation of the Farsi-language remarks conducted by the Middle East Media Research Institute, which tracks the hardline regime's state-controlled media.
The latest threat to launch a war against Israel comes as the Biden administration and Iranian government stand poised to ink a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear accord, which will provide Tehran with billions in cash windfalls and could unwind terror sanctions on the IRGC. Israel is one of the agreement's chief opponents and has pressured the Biden administration to keep IRGC sanctions in place.
Crowds in attendance at the IRGC parade also chanted, "Death to America!"
Iranian general Hossein Salami, the IRGC's commander in chief, issued thinly veiled threats to attack Israel "very soon."
"Soon—and maybe very soon—you will pray in the place your heart desires today," Salami said. "All your wishes have become true with time. Rest assured that this big wish will also come true soon, and under the leadership of the leader of the Muslims, you will pray in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani said the Hezbollah terror group, which is armed by Tehran and sits on Israel’s northern border, is strengthening its terrorist forces.