Tehran: A top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has pledged vengeance against the United States and Israel for the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi demanded a “full realisation of justice and a fitting response to the criminals, especially the child-killing American army.” He said the killing of the Supreme Leader won’t be “erased from the historical memory.”
“The criminal leaders of America and all enemies of the Islamic Revolution and the Resistance Front must know that by the cowardly assassination of this divine leader they will never … bring the flag of resistance to the ground,” Vahidi said in a statement carried by news agency Sepah.
He added, “Avenging the martyrs and the punishment of the perpetrators…will remain a definitive, legitimate, and an unforgettable demand.”
The remarks come after Khamenei was buried in Mashhad, his hometown, on Thursday, July 9, nearly four months after he and four other family members died in a US-Israeli strike at the start of the war.
Israel ready to hit Iran ‘third time if necessary’
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said his nation was ready to restart its military campaign against Iran and stated that it will hit Iran a “third time if necessary.”
“The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again … in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary. If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force,” Katz said in a military ceremony.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the ceremony and said Iran is weaker than ever and that Israel has proved its forces can reach anywhere, even as he acknowledged that the war wasn’t over.
“The Iranian axis is weaker than ever before, while Israel is stronger than ever before,” he said. “We proved that the long arm of the Israeli Air Force can reach anywhere, from Yemen to Iran. Yet we must also acknowledge that the campaign is not over.”
Seafarers attacked in Strait of Hormuz sue shipping company in Thailand
Three former crew members of a Thai cargo ship struck in the Strait of Hormuz in March filed a lawsuit Friday, July 10, against the vessel’s operator over labour rights violations and unfair dismissal.
The ship, the Mayuree Naree, was hit by a projectile north of Oman on March 11, killing three people. The remaining 20 crew members were rescued and returned to Thailand about a week later.
Former crew members Panithi Tumkaew, Noppadon Wongsuvan, and Surades Manpuen filed the lawsuit against Precious Shipping Co., as well as two affiliated companies and the ship’s captain.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants endangered their lives by sailing through the strait despite the security risks, according to their lawyer, Kunpat Singhathong.
Kunpat said the three men were also dismissed before the completion of their nine-month employment contracts after the attack rendered the ship inoperable. He said they received compensation equivalent to two months’ salary.
The compensation was inadequate because they have since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, leaving them unable to continue working as sailors for the foreseeable future, he said.
“We tried to negotiate with the company, but it denied responsibility, so we believe the matter should be brought to the court,” Kunpat said before filing the case with the Central Labor Court in Bangkok.
He declined to identify the amount of compensation they are seeking, only that it would be over a million baht (USD 30,000) per person.
Israeli attacks continue in south Lebanon
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli strikes grew stronger across southern Lebanon between Thursday night and Friday morning, involving ongoing air raids, gunfire, and demolitions.
Amid the attacks, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met army commander Rodolphe Haykal to address the “security situation in the country in general and in the south in particular, in light of the ongoing Israeli attacks on a number of southern villages and towns.”
“The discussion also addressed the ongoing preparations to implement what is contained in the framework formula in the designated experimental areas, where the Lebanese Army is expected to deploy concurrently with the Israeli withdrawal,” the President’s office wrote on X.
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