TEHRAN - Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has denounced the Israeli attack on Iran's embassy in Damascus as the most significant act of Israeli aggression in Syria in years, which will be met with Tehran’s firm response. 

The remarks were made during a ceremony held by the Hezbollah resistance movement to commemorate the martyrdom of Iranian General Mohammad Reda Zahedi and his companions who were killed during the Israeli attack that occurred on April 1. 

The ceremony took place at the Sayyed Al-Shuhada Complex in Beirut’s Dahiyeh, where Nasrallah addressed the attendees via video-conferencing. He highlighted the longstanding role of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Lebanon and Syria, dating back to the Israeli invasion in 1982. 

"IRGC role in Lebanon and Syria started upon the Israeli invasion in 1982. Despite the global war waged by Saddam Hussein's regime on Iran, Imam Khomeini dispatched Iranian forces to Lebanon and Syria to confront the Zionist invasion. As the Zionist invasion stopped, most of the Iranian forces returned home, yet IRGC cadres remained in Lebanon to train the resistance fighters," he said. 

The Lebanese leader emphasized that the Iranian consulate in Damascus, like diplomatic missions worldwide, includes military advisors rather than troops actively engaged in combat operations. Nasrallah also clarified that Iranian military advisors in Syria focus on supporting the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, and the Syrian army.

The Hezbollah leader condemned the Israeli regime's escalation which he deemed a violation of Iranian territory. He noted that this incident prompted a decision by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to authorize a military response to the Israeli aggression. 

“The assessments indicate that the enemy has made a mistake in its calculations by attacking the Iranian consulate. The fact that Israel is now awaiting a response is indicative of this [mistake]. The United States, Israel, and the whole world have received the message that Iran's response is forthcoming and it is the right of this country,” he said. 

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, Nasrallah assured that IRGC advisors refrain from meddling in domestic affairs, focusing instead on enhancing the resistance capabilities. He shared General Zahedi's call for unity in confronting the Israeli enemy, emphasizing the Axis of Resistance's mission to liberate the Islamic Ummah from Israeli occupation and U.S. hegemony.

He went on to say that the Israeli regime's attack on Iran's consulate pushed U.S. President Joe Biden to ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire in the Gaza battle.