Iranian commander: We will avenge Israel for the attack in Syria that killed two generals

(Patria) - The highest military commander on Saturday reiterated Iran's promise to retaliate after an airstrike earlier this week, blamed on Israel, destroyed the Iranian consulate in Syria, killing twelve people, including two elite Iranian generals, AP reported.

General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the Iranian staff, told mourners gathered in Isfahan at the funeral of General Mohammad Reza Zahedi that Iran will decide when and how to carry out an "operation" for revenge. Zahedi was the highest-ranking commander killed in Monday's attack.

"The time, type, and plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that Israel will regret what it did," he said. "This will certainly be done," he added.

The attack on the Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in the long-running shadow war between the two arch-enemies, and Israel is preparing for an Iranian response.

A total of twelve people were killed in the attack: seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, four Syrians, and one member of the Hezbollah militia.

On Friday, the commander of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, said that "our brave people will punish the Zionist regime," escalating threats against Israel.