The deputy commander for coordination of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force has stressed that Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any threat, amid heightened regional tensions, Press TV reported.
“The armed forces of Iran always stand at full readiness,” Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi told reporters.
Commenting on the mass participation of Iranians in the funeral ceremony for Major General Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior IRGC commander who was assassinated last month along with the Hezbollah chief in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon, Masjedi said it proved the people’s steadfastness and determination to continue the path of martyrs.
“We will not back down in the face of martyrdom [of our commanders] and will take vengeance on the Zionist entity for the blood of the dear martyrs and the oppressed people of Palestine and Lebanon."
He also described media reports on the whereabouts of Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, as “psychological warfare.”
Media outlets had claimed that Qaani might have been wounded, or even martyred, in a massive Israeli strike that was reported to have targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine in Beirut's densely populated southern neighbourhood of Dahiyeh early this month.
But Qaani last week reappeared at the funeral of Nilforoushan in Tehran and put all rumors to rest.
“The enemy’s recent efforts are psychological warfare meant to worry the people,” Masjedi added.
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