TEHRAN - Israel placed hundreds of warplanes on high alert in anticipation of Iran's retaliatory attack which struck the occupied territories last month, according to a senior Iranian military commander.

Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, disclosed that approximately 221 Israeli warplanes were mobilized to counter Iran's Operation True Promise.

“Foreign countries have admitted that Operation True Promise was the largest missile and drone operation in the world. A large number of missiles and drones were needed to pass through Israel's Iron Dome; The operation was punitive, limited, and extensive, and two intelligence bases and operations that played a role in the martyrdom of Iranian military commanders in Syria were destroyed,” the general explained during a gathering on Thursday.  

Operation True Promise, launched on April 13, involved the Iranian Armed Forces firing dozens of drones and missiles at Israeli military bases in the occupied territories. It was a direct response to Israel's aggression against the Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus on April 1, which resulted in the martyrdom of two IRGC generals and five accompanying officers.

Hajizadeh emphasized that Israel's decision to attack the Iranian diplomatic mission was a grave miscalculation.

"They assumed that Iran would not retaliate and that regional resistance forces would take action instead," he said.

The commander noted that Iran deployed only "20 percent" of its military might during Operation True Promise. “Israel's missile defense systems were not attacked; Because they are located near big cities. But had war with Israel continued, it wouldn’t have taken long to take down the whole regime,” he noted. 

Reports show that during Iran’s retaliatory attack against Israeli positions in the occupied territories, several countries including the U.S., UK, France, and Jordan worked in tandem with Israel to intercept Iranian weapons. "The Israeli regime and the United States worked together to equip regional countries with the means to defend Zionists against our response," Hajizadeh said.

Hajizadeh added that Operation True Promise has had a profound impact on the region, marking a clear dividing line between the past and the present. The operation has also bolstered the morale and resolve of the Axis of Resistance in its struggle against the Israeli occupation, he said. 

Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior Iranian commander hailed the resistance of Palestinian people against the Israeli regime in the past months, adding that Gaza will emerge victorious against the regime sooner or later.