TEHRAN : In a sharp escalation of military rhetoric, the operational commander-in-chief of the Iranian army, General Amir Hatami, has issued a stark warning to the United States and Israel, declaring that any ground attack on Iranian soil would result in the total annihilation of the invading force.
According to the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), General Hatami addressed a high-level meeting of the country’s top military leadership on Saturday, instructing operational headquarters to monitor enemy movements with “utmost precision.”
The head of the Iranian armed forces tasked military commanders with maintaining a round-the-clock vigil on the activities of both the US and Israel. He emphasized that this surveillance is not merely defensive but a prerequisite for ensuring a “timely and decisive response” to any possible ground incursion.
In the most dramatic segment of his address, General Hatami laid out the Islamic Republic’s red line regarding territorial integrity. “If the enemy attempts a ground attack,” the general told the assembled commanders, “not a single one of their men should escape alive.”
The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions, with Tehran frequently accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of conducting covert operations and cyberattacks against its nuclear and military infrastructure. While no imminent ground operation has been reported by Western intelligence sources, the Iranian general’s comments signal a shift toward preparing for a conventional ground confrontation scenario.
Iranian state media did not specify whether the alert was prompted by specific new intelligence or was part of a scheduled strategic briefing. However, analysts note that such language is among the most severe to come from a senior Iranian military figure in recent months.
The Iranian army has conducted several drills this year across strategic zones, including near the Gulf of Oman and the country’s western borders, which military officials say are designed to counter any foreignaggression.
