Iranian general: Israel ‘failed to achieve its goal’ in strike, warns of ‘bitter consequences’

In a letter to the commander-in-chief of the Iranian army on Monday, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami claimed that Israel had “failed to achieve its sinister goals” in its recent strike on Iranian targets.

The Israeli strikes, which took place overnight on Friday, struck several military sites in the Iranian regime, although authorities have been tight-lipped about which sites were hit, or the amount of damage that was caused. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke with Israel's tradition of not acknowledging IDF strikes in Iran on Sunday, when he spoke about the destruction of Iranian ballistic missile facilities during a national day of mourning ceremony honoring those killed or abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, and in the ongoing conflict.

The Iranian government has sought to downplay the effectiveness of the Israeli strikes this week while also complaining about its sovereignty being violated. An example of this was seen in a statement from Amir Saeed Iravani, the ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, who on Monday accused Israel of “aggression and extreme impunity.” 

Iravani admitted that Israel struck “several Iranian border defense radars in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, as well as military sites.”

He accused Israel of “persistent and systematic violations of international law,” saying that its actions “pose a direct threat to international peace and security and require unequivocal condemnation and decisive action by the Council.” 

In his letter to the Iranian army chief, Salami accused Israel of “illegitimate and illegal action.”

He also claimed that Israel is helpless against the Iranian axis, and said it will face “the bitter consequences” of its actions. 

These comments were echoed by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in a message about the IRGC soldiers who were killed in the Israeli strike.

Momeni stated, “We warn the enemies of the country, especially the evil Zionist regime, not to test the power of the great nation of Islamic Iran by making a miscalculation.” 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, while speaking during a weekly televised news conference, warned that Iran would “use available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime.” 

Meanwhile, Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran’s first female government spokesperson, announced a substantial increase in defense spending for the upcoming budget on Tuesday.

Mohajerani first eulogized the Iranian soldiers who died in the attack.

"In the past few days, the Zionist regime has attacked the skies of our country in violation of international laws and caused damage, which led to the martyrdom of five of our loved ones,” she said, adding that there would be an increase in defense spending.

“A considerable raise that amounts to 200% has been witnessed in the country's defense budget," Mohajerani said during the televised conference.