On Friday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that a “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the US after an American airstrike on a pair of cars at Baghdad’s airport and killed Qassem Soleimani, the powerful head of Iran’s elite Quds force.
Read: Iran’s top commander Qasem Soleimani killed in US strike
The Iranian state TV carried a statement by Khamenei calling Soleimani “the international face of resistance.” Khamenei declared three-day public mourning for the general’s death.
Khamenei wrote on his Farsi-language Twitter account in reference to Soleimani that,
“Martyrdom was the reward for his ceaseless efforts all these years.”
“With him gone, God willing, his work and his path will not be stopped, but severe revenge awaits the criminals who bloodied their foul hands with his blood and other martyrs in last night’s incident.”
Describing martyrdom as a reward for Major General Soleimani’s life time efforts, the Leader underlined that the revered commander’s path would be continued.
“However, a harsh revenge awaits the criminals who have the blood of him (General Soleimani) and the other martyrs of last night’s incident on their hands.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also told all Iranian general’s friends and enemies that the road of resistance would continue aggressively, emphasizing that the murderers and criminals would be frustrated by the continued war and ultimate victory.