Iran army commander threatens to 'raze Tel Aviv, Haifa' if Israel makes a 'mistake'

An Iranian army commander issued a warning against Israel, threatening to "destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa" should its foe "make a mistake".

Iranian Army Grounds Commander Kioumars Heidari said: "For any mistake made by the enemy, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground by the order of the Supreme Leader (Ali Khameini)", as quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The commander added that all units of the Iranian army are being equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry, including long-range and smart weapons, drones and missiles, adding that the military achievements of the Islamic Republic’s army are a "thorn in the eyes of the enemy".

"All this equipment is to respond to the stupid aggressions of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution," he continued.

In addition, he assured that "in less than 25 years, Islam will once again embrace the Muslim lands occupied by Israel", referring to Palestine.

Iran regularly threatens Israel, its regional foe, but does not act on its warning directly.

Israel, meanwhile, is thought to have carried out assassinations and cyberattacks targeting Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran and Israel have been embroiled in increased tensions recently. Last month, Tehran blamed Tel Aviv for killing Revolutionary Guards Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodai, who was shot dead by two unidentified assailants on a motor bike. Iran has since vowed retaliation for the incident.

Meanwhile, Israel urged its citizens to leave and avoid travel to Turkey due to potential "retaliatory" threats from Iran, reported The Times of Israel. Israel went on to classify Turkey as a "high-risk country".

The two foes have also been entangled in a so-called shadow war over Iran's stalled efforts to revive its 2015 nuclear programme, which Israel is staunchly against. Tel Aviv has vowed to do what it takes to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.

The shadow war has led to hostilities between the two countries, with both sides accusing each other of carrying out attacks on ships.

Iran has also accused Israel of carrying out several high-profile incidents such as the 2020 explosion at the underground Natanz facility nuclear, and the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head of the Iranian nuclear programme, in the same year, in an attempt to sabotage its nuclear programme.