Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for attacking the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.

In a major escalation of Israel's war with regional adversaries, suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital on April 1 in a strike that Iran said killed seven military advisers, vowing to retaliate.

"The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be," Khamenei said in a speech marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramaddan. REUTERS