The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds Force Brigade, Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, revealed on 29 April that Iran carried out an operation in which it flew two drones over the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

“The two drones … caused a clear Zionist military alert … the Zionist entity sent 41 aircraft to intercept the two drones, and justified this movement by saying that it was conducting military drills, and did not reveal the truth of what happened,” Qaani said.

Qaani’s announcement coincides with International Quds Day, and comes as a warning to Israel in the backdrop of recent incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque carried out by occupation forces and extremist settlers.

“It is better for the Zionists to return to their original homelands in Europe or any other place from which they came before it is too late,” Qaani said, also emphasizing that “Israel is heading towards extinction.”

During Al-Quds Day parade in Tehran, IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami issued a warning to Israel, stating: “Stop your vicious deeds. You know well that we are people of action and reaction. Our responses are painful. You create conditions for your own destruction.”

Salami also addressed Israel’s recent aggression on Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which “showed the extent of the brutality of the Israeli entity and the strength of the valiant resistance,” he said.

Over the past few weeks, Israeli occupation forces and settlers have been carrying out almost daily incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, violently harassing worshippers using tear gas and riot gear.

The most recent incursion took place at dawn on 28 April, when Israeli forces attacked worshippers who had gathered at the Islamic holy site at night for spiritual reflection in the month of Ramadan.

On 22 April, thousands of Palestinians rallied across the Gaza Strip to condemn the continuous attacks by Israeli occupation troops on the holy site.