The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned that the resistance front will avenge any Israeli aggression, adding that the enemies of Islam will receive “painful” blows in case of a broader conflict with Muslims.

Major General Hossein Salami raised the alarm in an address to IRGC forces in a combat-security drill in the capital Tehran on Thursday as he praised the Iranian nation’s resilience and determination in tough times as well as sacrifices of Muslims in defending their territories over the years.

Stressing that the world’s major powers cannot stand up to the Islamic Republic’s resolve, Salami said the whole “evil powers” have at the present time lined up against Islam and Muslims in a historical confrontation.

“The most modern armies of the world have come to the aid of the Zionist regime. The stage depicts a global formation of powers that intend to force us to submit to their will so that they will rule over the fate of Muslims, occupy their lands and rob them of their religious identity,” the IRGC chief said.

“A real and historical confrontation is in the making,” Salami added. “You will lose and you will not be able to survive in the face of Muslims. Although you destroy houses, demolish cities and villages, and bury oppressed Muslims under the rubble, you should know that if you killed 40,000 Palestinians in the besieged and defenseless Gaza Strip, another 100,000 Palestinian children were born.”

The chief commander said the resistance fighters are taking revenge for the blows that the Israeli regime inflicted on their commanders and youths, underlining that the “glorious path is not terminable” and will continue.

“We are standing face to face and we will fight with you until the end and we will not allow you to dominate the fate of Muslims,” Salami said. “We will take revenge. You will receive painful blows; keep waiting.”

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed more than 43,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 103,000 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Israel also launched a ground assault and massive air campaign against Lebanon in late September after a year of exchanging fire across the Lebanese border in parallel with the Gaza war.

At least 3,287 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the last year, with the vast majority in the past seven weeks. Another 14,222 have been wounded, mostly women and children.

The Axis of Resistance has over the past year launched hundreds of missiles at the Israeli-occupied territories in support of Gaza and Lebanon, not least in the last couple of months since the regime killed top resistance leaders, including Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.