<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday warned that any “slightest action” by Israel against his country will see “the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv.”</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Addressing the National Army Day parade in the capital Tehran, he said Israel has received this message from Iran’s armed forces as tensions continue to heighten between the arch-foes in the wake of recent airstrikes in Syria that killed Iranian military advisors.</div><div><br></div><div>Flanked by top military commanders, Raisi said the message of Iran’s National Army Day, observed on April 18 every year, is a “message of peace and friendship for countries in the region.”</div><div><br></div><div>He, however, hastened to add that “extra-regional forces,” referring specifically to American forces, “should leave the region as soon as possible,” saying their presence “endangers the region’s security.”</div><div><br></div><div>During the parade, the Iranian army’s ground force, naval force, and air force put on display their indigenous equipment including fighter jets, helicopters, air defense systems, and drones.</div><div><br></div><div>This year’s military parade comes amid Iran’s growing tensions with both the US and Israel amid a stalemate in the 2015 nuclear deal talks as well as recent strikes in Syria.</div><div><br></div><div>Two members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were killed in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus late last night, after which Iran vowed a “firm and decisive response.”</div><div><br></div><div>Tensions between Tehran and Washington have also grown amid the standoff over Iran nuclear deal.</div><div><br></div><div>At a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the US is “no longer the superpower” and that “the unipolar world has ended.” - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>