The chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Abdolrahim Mousavi, has called on residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to leave, warning of imminent “punitive” attacks.
“Punitive operations will be carried out soon,” Mousavi said in a video statement broadcast on state television, the fifth day of the conflict triggered by Friday’s massive Israeli attack on Iran.
Speaking of Israel, Mousavi said that “residents of the occupied territories (of Israel), especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly encouraged to leave these areas for their own safety.”
Previous Iranian missile and drone strikes so far have been launched only for “deterrence,” he added.
Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, saying it was targeting its nuclear and military facilities.
The Israeli strikes in the Islamic Republic have killed at least 224 people, including senior military officers, nuclear scientists and civilians.
The Iranian response killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
On Monday, Israel warned residents to leave the northern district of the Iranian capital ahead of an attack on the headquarters of state television, in an attack that killed three people, according to the outlet.
Trump: We will not kill Iran’s supreme leader, at least not yet
United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States knows exactly where Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “hiding,” adding that he is an easy target but that he will not be eliminated “at least for now.”
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘supreme leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but he is safe there – We will not eliminate (kill) him!, at least not yet,” Trump said in an online post.
“But we do not want missiles fired at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is running out,” Trump said.
Donald Trump also called on social media for an “UNCONDITIONAL CAPITULATION” of Iran, which has been the target of Israeli attacks since Friday.
The US president, who returned early from the G7 summit in Canada on Monday night due to the situation in the Middle East, also claimed in a series of messages about Iran that “we (the United States) now have complete and total control over Iranian airspace.”
