Esmail Qaani at the memorial ceremony for officers killed in Syria consulate strike

It was the boldest and deadliest in a series of attacks that have killed Iranian officials in Syria since December. Iran vowed harsh retaliation, raising the spectre of a wider war and prompting the Israeli armed forces to suspend leave for all combat units yesterday, a day after they said they were mobilising more troops for air defence units. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday his country would harm “whoever harms us or plans to harm us”.