TEHRAN - The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, has declared that the three European countries that deployed warplanes to defend Israel during Iran's retaliatory "True Promise" Operation will be held accountable.

"All criminals should be aware that their actions and atrocities have been meticulously recorded," General Qaani stated on Wednesday. "France, Germany, and the UK must not deceive themselves into believing that their deployment of aircraft on that fateful night absolved them of responsibility. The issue may have been concluded on that particular evening, but they will undoubtedly face consequences in due course."

General Qaani's remarks came during a ceremony commemorating 40 days since the martyrdom of IRGC General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, along with five other accompanying officers, in an Israeli terrorist attack against Iran's diplomatic premises in Damascus on April 1.

In response to the attack, the IRGC launched a barrage of drones and missiles targeting the Occupied Territories on April 14. The retaliatory strikes, dubbed "Operation True Promise," inflicted significant damage on Israeli military bases from the Golan heights to the Negev desert. 

According to General Qaani, the United States and the entire Western military alliance of NATO mobilized their full military capabilities to defend the occupying Israeli regime.

"As many as seven to eight naval groups were deployed to the Black Sea to prevent the Iranian operation," the military official explained, adding that over 200 aircraft were also deployed across the region's airspace during the night of the operation.

General Qaani described the aerial area where the operation was carried out as "the most densely populated area in the world in terms of air defence," highlighting the "unprecedented and historically improbable" nature of the operation.

He emphasized that the Islamic Republic had provided ample notice of the impending operation to various concerned parties.

"True Promise was a transparent operation... The timing of the operation was crystal clear to both the Zionist regime and the United States," the commander said, noting that the Islamic Republic "demonstrated its strength, resilience, and power to the entire world" during the operation.

"The success of Operation True Promise goes beyond the mere number of missiles and drones that struck the Occupied Territories," General Qaani stated. "There are numerous hidden aspects to this operation that will take a considerable amount of time to fully comprehend.”

The military official also praised the role played by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in the operation.

"Who in the world possesses the courage to make such a decision?" he asked, recalling that even the United States, Israel's primary ally, had publicly declared following the Israeli terrorist attack that it would not intervene.

Meanwhile, General Qaani cautioned regional and extra-regional nations to learn from the United States' failure to protect the Israeli regime during the Iranian operation, urging them to avoid placing excessive faith in Washington's support.