Iran would ‘eliminate Israel’ if attacked: Army General
IRAN: Iran would “eliminate Israel from the global arena” if it was
attacked by the Jewish state, the deputy commander of the army warned on
Tuesday, amid an intensifying war of words between the two foes.
“We are not worried by Israeli manoeuvres, but if Israel takes such
action against the Islamic Republic of Iran, we will eliminate it from
the global arena,” Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted as saying by the
Mehr news agency. His comments come a week after Israeli National
Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer warned that any Iranian
attack against Israel “would lead to the destruction of the Iranian
nation.”
Ashtiani, whose comments were also reported by the official IRNA news
agency, was speaking at a news conference ahead of Iran’s national army
day on Thursday when a major military parade is expected in Tehran.
“As the President (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) has said, we have a great
motivation to defend the frontiers of our country,” he added.
“In the case of any action by Israel, we are ready to eliminate it
from the global arena.”
Israel last week held a five-day exercise codenamed “Turning Point”
simulating air and missile attacks on cities, including by
non-conventional weapons, the biggest drill of its kind ever carried out
in the Jewish state.
The exercise sparked alarm in Israel’s northern neighbour Lebanon,
home to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah which is enthusiastically
supported by Tehran.
Tehran, Tuesday, AFP |