Iranian commander threatens to destroy Israel within 25 years

Speaking at a ceremony on Saturday, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi reiterated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will continue to support "the demise of the ominous Zionist regime" of Israel.

"Today, we can see that the criminal US (government) is making every attempt to ensure survival of the Zionist regime and strengthen its position in the region," the commander said according to Tansim News Agency.

He then predicted Israel's demise and fall within 25 years.

"We need to prevent this illegitimate entity (Israel) from continuing to exist even one more day," he said.

"The leaders of arrogance (the US and the West) are propping it up so that it continues."

The comments follow a senior Iranian official warning Israel not to provoke Iran earlier this month.

Ali Shirazi, an aide to Iran's supreme leader, was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying Iran is capable of destroying Israel. 

"If you provide an excuse for Iran, Tel Aviv and Haifa will be razed to the ground," he said.

A day before, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at a Holocaust memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem and warned that Iran should not test Israel amid rising tensions in Syria.

"Events of recent days teach that standing up to evil and aggression is a mission imposed on every generation," Netanyahu said.

"Today as well, a murderous regime threatens us, threatens entire world peace, this regime explicitly declares that it intends to annihilate us, the Jewish state," he said, alluding to Iran.

Netanyahu compared the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the run-up to the Second World War.

He said the agreement "released the Iranian regime from its chains and since has devoured country after country, similar to what happened in Europe in the 1930s".