BICOM

Iran’s leaders took the opportunity to threaten Israel in public statements to mark ‘Al Quds day’.

Referring to Israel, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei declared that Iran was “fighting against an oppressive and arrogant political system”.

President Hassan Rouhani said: “In order to curb Zionism and terrorism in the region, the unity of the Islamic world must be reinforced.”

Defence Minister Hossein Dehqan said a world without violence “is a world without the Zionist regime,” whilst the General Staff of Iran’s armed forces issued a statement calling on all Muslims to attend rallies today to condemn Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and its atrocities against the people.

Al Quds day is held every year on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and millions of people across Iran and other countries are expected to take part in the demonstrations.

Israel’s Head of Military Intelligence, IDF Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevy, spoke at the Herzliya conference yesterday about the security threat from Iran. He cautioned that Iran had not abandoned its nuclear aspirations and identified it as the “number one source of regional instability”.

Halevy said: “Iran inundates the region with weapons and know-how for manufacturing them, and it is the central source of advanced weaponry irresponsibly falling into the hands of extremist groups.”

He noted Iran’s investment in research for the benefit of terrorist organisations, and distribution of “do-it-yourself” kits.

Halevy warned that Iran is establishing a military industry in Lebanon and Yemen that would include the production of “precision surface-to-surface missile capabilities”.  He said Tehran was engaged in “psychological operations to influence opinion” to undermine public confidence in state institutions and the media, “posing a serious challenge for democracies and government stability”.