TEHRAN, January 8. /TASS/. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) call Israel an accomplice of the United States in the assassination of ex-commander of IRGC Quds Force General Qasem Soleimani, Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.

"Within the frames of this crime [Soleimani’s assassination] we in no way view Israel separately from the United States," Fars reported citing a statement from IRGC.

The situation in the Middle East deteriorated sharply after the Pentagon announced on January 3 that Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (the elite wing of the Iranian military) General Qasem Soleimani had been killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad airport. The missile strike came on order of US President Donald Trump.

According to the US Administration, the operation was defensive, as it was aimed at protecting US troops stationed in the Middle East. According to Washington, the attacks planned by the Iranian general could have led to the deaths of hundreds of Americans and Iraqis.

After the attack, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council vowed at an emergency session to exact "severe revenge" on those involved in the killing of Soleimani, blaming the US for the attack.