TEHRAN — Iran's President
Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge against Donald Trump unless the former US president is
tried over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, as Tehran marked two years since
the revered commander's death.
اضافة اعلان
The Islamic republic and its allies across
the Middle East held emotional commemorations for General Soleimani and his
Iraqi lieutenant who were assassinated in a
US drone strike at Baghdad airport
on January 3, 2020.
Tehran's arch enemies were targeted on the
day of the anniversary in unclaimed drone and cyber attacks — with two armed
unmanned aerial vehicles intercepted by the US-led coalition in Iraq over
Baghdad airport, and hackers attacking Israeli media sites.
Soleimani headed the Quds Force, the foreign
operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, with links to armed groups in
Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen.
Raisi, addressing Tehran's largest prayer
hall, said: "The aggressor and the main assassin, the then president of
the US, must face justice and retribution" alongside former US secretary
of state Mike Pompeo "and other criminals".
"Otherwise, I will tell all US leaders
that without a doubt the hand of revenge will emerge from the sleeve of the
Muslim nation."
Trump — under whom tensions over Iran's
nuclear program escalated, leading to a new and painful sanctions regime —
ordered the assassination which brought the enemies to the brink of a direct
military confrontation.
Washington said at the time that Soleimani
was planning imminent action against US personnel in Iraq, a war-battered
country long torn between principal allies Washington and Tehran.
'Revenge operations'
The night-time strike destroyed a convoy
carrying Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy leader of the
Hashed al-Shaabi coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, and others.
Iran responded days later by firing missiles
at bases hosting US troops in Iraq. No one was killed but Washington said
dozens suffered traumatic brain injuries.
Amid the heightened tensions Iran also
accidentally downed a Ukrainian passenger jet on January 8, 2020, killing all
176 people aboard.
Soleimani's funeral drew millions, and his
martyr's portrait can now be seen on streets, in squares and on buildings from
Tehran to southern Lebanon and Gaza.
Commemorations were held this year across
Iran as well as at Baghdad airport, in the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf, in
Gaza City and elsewhere.
Before dawn on Monday, two armed drones
targeted a Baghdad airport site used by the US-led coalition against the
Islamic State group.
"Two fixed-wing suicide drones, or
improvised cruise missiles, attempted to attack Baghdad Airport this morning at
approximately 4:30 am" (0130 GMT), a coalition official told AFP in the
Iraqi capital.
A counter-rocket, artillery and mortar, or
C-RAM, system "engaged them and they were shot down without
incident," added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Photos obtained by AFP from the coalition
official show remains of one of the drones, with the message "commanders'
revenge operations" written on it.
'Close to you'
Hackers also attacked media in Iran's other
sworn enemy country, Israel, with a threatening message that appeared linked to
the Soleimani killing.
The website of the English-language
Jerusalem Post and the Twitter account of Hebrew-language Maariv were taken
over with a picture of a fist firing a shell out of a ring with a red stone,
like one Soleimani used to wear.
The Jerusalem Post said its website was
hacked to feature an image of a model of Israel's Dimona nuclear facility being
blown up, along with the message "we are close to you where you do not
think about it" in English and Hebrew.
Israel fears Iran's nuclear program aims to
acquire weapons to harm the Israel, and the two countries regularly issue hints
threatening strikes against one another.
In the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza,
a ceremony was also held Monday to commemorate the second anniversary of the
killings.
Later Monday the leader of Lebanon's Iranian
backed
Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, was also due to speak.
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