A senior Iranian official claimed Sunday that the Islamic republic has "settled the score" with Israel over its attack on Iranian "advisers" in Syria.
Iran vowed to deal Israel a "painful blow" over an April 4 strike on the T4 air base in Homs province, which housed an Iranian drone unit. Seven Revolutionary Guards officers were killed in the strike, which dealt a crippling blow to Iran's drone deployment in Syria.
In an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera network, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said, "Iranian advisers are in Syria at the invitation of the legal Syrian government, to combat terrorism."
He said that the "Zionist regime's claims that it hit Iranian assets in Syria are false because Iran only sent military advisers to Syria. It does not take an active part in the fighting."
Shamkhani called the strike on T4 a "strategic mistake."
"The Zionist regime has paid the price for this great mistake. The score has been settled," he said.
He did not elaborate, but it is believed he was referring to the May 10 rocket salvo by Iranian forces in Syria at Israeli military bases in the Golan Heights, which he described as "balancing the equation" opposite Israel. However, none of the rockets landed in Israel and Israel responded with a massive attack on Iranian assets in Syria.
Shamkhani's statement may have sought to play both a strategic and a tactical role.
Iran is under considerable pressure due to the U.S.'s recent withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, the dire economic situation in Iran, and growing domestic unrest and protests against the regime, which most likely hinder any plans Iran may have about launching another active military front at this time. In addition, it seems Iran is finding it difficult to carry out a successful military strike against Israel, after its attempts so far have failed.
However, it is also possible that the statement is an Iranian attempt to lull Israel into a false sense of security so as to preserve the element of surprise if and when future conditions enable it to strike back at Israel.
