News - Middle East: A senior Iranian military commander has disclosed new details about Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israeli-occupied territories last month, saying that 240 fighter jets from the US-led NATO military alliance were scrambled to shield the Israeli regime.

Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the remarks in an interview with the Persian newspaper Iran published on Sunday as he outlined new details about the recent anti-Israel operation.

In a multi-pronged attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, the Iranian armed forces launched dozens of drones and missiles at the occupied territories late on April 13 in response to the regime's aggression on the Iranian diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on April 1.

The Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus had killed two generals of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, as well as five of their accompanying officers.

Rashid said Iran’s Operation True Promise overcame the self-proclaimed and illusory deterrence of the Zionist regime, which believed its deterrence was guaranteed by relying on the United States and NATO.

Underlining that Iran’s retaliatory strikes exposed Israel’s vulnerability, the commander said the United States, backed by NATO’s major powers of the United Kingdom and France as well as some regional countries, created several layers of defense against the offensive power of Iran's missiles and drones to protect Israel.

“However, Iran's powerful missiles passed through the missile defense shields and crushed the two Israeli military centers of Navatim and Shalakhim,” he said.

Stressing that the Israeli regime did not dare to show the world pictures of the two targeted military bases, Rashid said, “Had the Americans, British, French and CENTCOM not rushed to the aid of the Israeli regime, 80% of Iran's projectiles would have pounded the Zionist regime’s military bases.”

The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters described Operation True Promise as a defeat for Israel’s deterrence and said the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which was tasked with carrying out the retaliatory strikes, used only a limited portion of its offensive power.

“The offensive operation was conducted by a unit of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division and this single unit used only 20% of its offensive power,” Rashid said.

“On the contrary, the US, NATO, CENTCOM and the Zionist regime, with 240 fighter jets and numerous anti-missile systems stationed on American warships in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea alongside the Zionist regime’s anti-missile systems fearfully, scrambled to defend themselves.”

The commander said that the single unit was prepared to unleash the remaining 80 percent of its offensive power and launch another wave of strikes under orders.

Rashid also emphasized that the US and Western governments were definite partners in the Israeli regime’s crimes against Palestinians.

The Israeli regime's aggression on the Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria drew widespread condemnation from the international community, with Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations saying in a statement that Tehran’s response to Israeli aggression was a “legitimate defense” under the UN Charter.

Source: Press TV