On Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Iranian president threatens Haifa, Tel Aviv with destruction
Raisi tells the United States to withdraw its forces from the region
At a speech for Iran’s Army Day celebrations on Tuesday, which coincided with Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi threatened to destroy two of Israel's main cities, Haifa and Tel Aviv.
“The enemies of the Islamic Revolution, especially the Zionist regime, have received the message of the power of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, that the slightest mistake against our country will be responded with a harsh response and will be accompanied by the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv,” Raisi said, observing Iran’s longstanding practice of not saying the name of Israel.
Raisi’s threat came as Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is visiting Israel for the first time. The prince took part in Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies in Jerusalem and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On its Army Day, Iran celebrates its regular armed forces with displays of weaponry, and with fighter jets and helicopters flying over the capital city.
“Our armed forces will not allow any force to create the slightest insecurity in the region,” Raisi stated in his speech. He also called on the U.S. to leave the Middle East, claiming that its presence “threatens the security of the region.”
One day before Raisi’s threat to destroy Haifa and Tel Aviv, Netanyahu called the Iranian regime the modern-day counterpart of Nazi Germany, which decimated 6 million Jews less than 100 years ago.
Raisi spoke of Iran’s “advanced equipment” and said the army’s power was “well known.”
On the same day, Iranian state television showed footage of what appeared to be a Russian-made Su-35 fighter jet heading toward the Iranian Air Force’s Mehrabad Air Base. Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to deliver Su-35 jets to Iran as part of a Russian-Iranian military arms deal.
Three Su-35 jets were allegedly delivered to Iran yesterday, with reports stating that the jets were still painted in the colors of the Egyptian Air Force. The planes had been slated for sale to Egypt, but that sale was halted due to U.S. pressure on Egypt.
Iran reportedly wants the planes to fight off a possible Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
