The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, eulogized Qasem Soleimani, the deceased commander of the IRGC Quds Force, and threatened Israel in a speech on the 13th of February during a ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of the Iranian General. The IRGC is a special branch of the Iranian Armed Forces which is intended to protect the country’s Islamic republic political system as per its Constitution.
Salami told the gathering, “We have said to (the Israelis) many times: Do not count on America. America always arrives late, or it does not arrive at all. If you want to open such an account, take a good look at the sea because that is where your final place of residence will be.” The Commander-in-Chief went on to clarify that he was referring to the Mediterranean Sea.
IRGC Commander-in-Chief Gen. Hossein Salami Eulogizes Qasem Soleimani, Warns Israelis: Take a Good Look at the Mediterranean Sea – That’s Where You Are Going to End up pic.twitter.com/sINg9oh1yA
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) February 14, 2020
Speaking of Soleimani, Salami said, “In Afghanistan, (Soleimani) was known better than the Afghans themselves. He was an angel of salvation. Wherever there were oppressed people, Qasem and his army were fighting there.” He continued, “When Qasem joined the fray of the war with the Zionists, the Palestinians had been fighting the Zionists with stones. He made it so that today, Gaza, the West Bank, and Northern Palestine have become a firing range and an endless eruption of fire.”
“He built such a great force that if the Zionists were to listen near their border today, they would hear the languages of the Pakistanis, the Iraqis, Lebanese, Iranians, Syrians, Afghans, Bahrainis, Yemenis, Hijazis, and others,” Salami said of Soleimani. “The enemy received a powerful slap (in Ayn Al-Asad Airbase), but the decisive slap continues until the Islamic nation expels the last of the American soldiers from the lands of Islam,” he stated.
Qasem Soleimani was killed in a recent strike by the United States of America. The killing of the IRGC General had led to a brief spell of tensions between the two countries with speculations rife that it could lead to a full-blown war between Iran and the USA. Iran responded to the killing of Soleimani with missile strikes at a base in Iraq that housed American troops. However, the threat of an all-out war appears to have been eliminated for now.
Salami’s comments against Israel were made in light of recent remarks made by Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. Bennett said that an agreement had been reached between the USA and Israel that the USA will counter Iran’s influence in Iraq while Israel will counter Iran’s influence in Syria. Salami said that under such circumstances, Iran will view both countries as responsible for any military action against it.
Note: The translation of Salami’s speech has been provided by Memri TV, an independent non-profit organization that provides translations from Middle Eastern Media.
