Iran's president on Tuesday reiterated threats against Israel while marking the country's annual Army Day.
The comments by Ebrahim Raisi came as fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead in Tehran, and as Iranian submarines sailed across its waters during a ceremony carried live by state television, The Associated Press said.
The day celebrates Iran's regular military, not its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, whose expeditionary forces operate across the wider Mideast and aid Iranian-allied groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah. The Guard also routinely has tense encounters with the US Navy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Raisi threatened Israel, which is suspected of carrying out a series of attacks targeting Iran since the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers.
“Enemies, particularly the Zionist regime, have received the message that any tiny action against (our) country will prompt a harsh answer from the armed forces, which will accompany the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv," Raisi said.
“The hand of our armed forces warmly shakes the hand of the regional nations that intend to create security in the region,” the president said.
