Alwaght- Iran's leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei threatened the US with harsh revenge after American forces assassinated IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani.
In a statement on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the “cruelest people on earth” assassinated the “honorable” commander who “courageously fought for years against the evils and bandits of the world.”
His demise will not stop his mission, but the criminals who have the blood of General Soleimani and other martyrs of the Thursday night attack on their hands must await a harsh revenge, the Leader added.
“Martyr Soleimani is an international figure of the Resistance, and all the devotees of Resistance are now his avengers,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"All the friends and foes must know that the path of Jihad of the Resistance will continue with double motivation, and a definite victory awaits those who fight in this auspicious path," the Leader said.
“The demise of our selfless and dear general is bitter, but the continued fight and achievement of the final victory will make life bitterer for the murderers and criminals,” he added.
In his statement, the Leader also offered condolences to the Iranian nation and General Soleimani’s family, and declared three days of national mourning.
Later in the day, the IRGC spokesman General Ramezan Sharif warned that the US' "momentary pleasure" after assassinating General Soleimani will be short-lived, and will soon turn into lamentation.
He also said the IRGC is going to open a new chapter from now on and the front of resistance is going to set out a new starting point.
Speaking to Iran's state TV, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi explained that the US' missile attacks hit two cars transferring General Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and 10 companions and bodyguards from Baghdad Airport to the city at 1 am (local time).
According to Masjedi, all the passengers have been killed, and arrangements are being made for their return to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
