TEHRAN – In an address on Monday, Major General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), denounced the Israeli regime as an entity established through terrorism, predicting that it would ultimately succumb to its own misdeeds.

Speaking at an event in Tehran on National Journalists' Day, Salami stated, “The Zionist regime was born in a cradle of terrorism and lacks the fundamental elements that constitute a nation.” He referred to the establishment of Israel in 1948, which resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during a Western-backed conflict.

Since its inception, Salami stated, Israel has engaged in daily acts of terror against regional nations, aiming to suppress opposition to its existence and expand its occupied territories. He described these actions as creating a “self-made vortex of fire” that has ensnared the regime itself.

Salami cited specific examples of Israeli aggression, including the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and the recent killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a political leader of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, in Tehran. He argued that these actions were misguided attempts to prolong Israel's survival. “They think that through these measures, they would succeed in prolonging their survival,” he said.

“These atrocities are, however, graves that they [the Israelis] dug for themselves and will gradually bury themselves in,” Salami added. He emphasized that a strong response would make the Israeli regime realize its miscalculations.

Salami’s remarks echoed those of Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who, following Haniyeh’s assassination, warned of a "harsh response" and reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's commitment to avenging the Resistance leader's death.

The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, has intensified tensions. Haniyeh, who was in Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, was targeted in an attack that has been widely condemned by many countries.