TEHRAN: An Iranian general warned his country is still seeking to kill former US president Donald Trump and his secretary of state Mike Pompeo in revenge for assassinating top commander Qasem Soleimani.
Tehran has repeatedly vowed to avenge the killing of Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign operations, in a US drone strike on Baghdad airport in January 2020.
“We hope we can kill Trump, Pompeo, (former US general Kenneth) McKenzie and the military commanders who gave the order” to kill Soleimani, General Amirali Hajjizadeh, the Guards’ aerospace unit commander, said on television late Friday.
Trump had ordered the strike in response to a number of attacks on US interests in Iraq that his administration blamed on Iran.
Days later, Iran retaliated by firing missiles at a US air base in Iraq that housed US troops. None were killed, but Washington said dozens suffered traumatic brain damage.
The United States and its allies have repeatedly expressed concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile program as well as its “destabilising” role in the Middle East.
In his televised remarks, Hajjizadeh said Iran was “now able to hit American ships at a distance of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).”
“We have set this limit of 2,000 kilometers out of respect for the Europeans and we hope that the Europeans show themselves worthy of this respect,” the Iranian general said.
On Saturday, Iranian state television aired video of what it said was a newly unveiled “Paveh cruise missile with a range of 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles)” developed by the Guards.
The official broadcaster reported on Friday that Iran was likely to provide Syria with the 15-Khordad surface-to-air missile system to “reinforce” its defensive capabilities.
Iran still seeking to kill Donald Trump, general says
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Iran still seeking to kill Donald Trump, general says
- Tehran has repeatedly vowed to avenge the killing of top commander Qasem Soleimani
Supplies running out at Syria’s Al-Hol camp as clashes block aid deliveries
DAMASCUS: An international humanitarian organization has warned that supplies are running out at a camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Daesh group, as the country’s government fights to establish control over an area formerly controlled by Kurdish fighters.
The late Friday statement by Save the Children came a week after government forces captured Al-Hol camp, which is home to more than 24,000 people, mostly children and women, including many wives or widows of Daesh members.
The capture of the camp came after intense fighting earlier this month between government forces and members of the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces during which forces loyal to interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa captured wide areas in eastern and northeastern Syria.
The SDF signed a deal to end the fighting after suffering major defeats, but sporadic clashes between it and the government have continued.
Save the Children said that “critical supplies in Al-Hol camp are running dangerously low” as clashes are blocking the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.
It added that last week’s clashes around the camp forced aid agencies to temporarily suspend regular operations at Al-Hol. It added that the main road leading to the camp remains unsafe, which is preventing humanitarian workers from delivering food and water or running basic services for children and families.
“The situation in Al-Hol camp is rapidly deteriorating as food, water and medicines run dangerously low,” said Rasha Muhrez, Save the Children Syria country director. “If humanitarian organizations are unable to resume work, children will face still more risks in the camp, which was already extremely dangerous for them before this latest escalation.”
Muhrez added that all parties to the conflict must ensure a safe humanitarian corridor to Al-Hol so basic services can resume and children can be protected. “Lives depend on it,” she said.
The SDF announced a new agreement with the central government on Friday, aiming to stabilize a ceasefire that ended weeks of fighting and lay out steps toward integrating the US-backed force into the army and police forces.
