April 4 (UPI) — Israeli citizens and officials abroad are on guard after Iran accused Israel of killing one of its top military leaders in an airstrike in Syria on Monday.
Israeli embassies around the world went on high alert Thursday in fear of an Iranian retaliation. Some ambassadors were asked not to appear in public due to the security risk.
The Iranian government has blamed Israel for the airstrike next to the country’s embassy in Syria, which killed Mohammed Reza Zahedi, senior leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.
Iranian ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari said the attack “will result in our decisive response.”
President Ebrahim Raisi in a statement said, “This cowardly crime will not go unanswered,” adding Israel “must know that it will never achieve its goals.”
Israel did not confirm or deny its involvement in the strike, but it has previously acknowledged targeting Iranian forces in Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting of his security cabinet on Thursday said “Iran has been acting against us for years — directly and via proxies. And, therefore, Israel acts against Iran and its proxies — defensively and offensively.
“We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm.”
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari addressed citizens’ fears of a possible Iranian retaliation, saying “there is no need to buy generators, store food and withdraw money from ATMs.
“As we have done until today, we will immediately update on any change in an official and orderly manner.”
The IDF on Thursday temporarily suspended home leave for its combat units a day after it said it would increase recruitment and call up reservists for its air defense.
The Israeli government previously denied reports that it withdrew its ambassadors and evacuated multiple embassies around the world.
On Thursday, Israel jammed GPS systems in the central parts of the country as a defensive measure to disrupt missiles and drones that rely on GPS to set their location.
