The "criminal" State of Israel is doomed, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday as he met with senior Palestinian terror figures in Damascus .
During his meeting with senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, including Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Shallah, Ahmadinejad warned that any Israeli attack will be met with stiff resistance.
"If the Zionists want to repeat their mistake again, they must be uprooted from the source," he said. "This criminal regime is doomed and the grand victory is imminent."
He promised the terror leaders that Iran would remain by their side and support their armed struggle against Israel.
The Iranian president also belittled Israel's power, likening it to an airplane about to crash.
"The Zionist regime's plane engines and arrogant rule have been ruined and there is no force that can propel this plane forward or upward," he said.
Referring to the Iran-Syria-Lebanon alliance, Ahmadinejad said: "This resistance crescent has turned into a great circle which will blind their eyes."
Earlier Thursday, Ahmadinejad met with Syrian President Bashar Assad who addressed the recent Israeli threats, saying, "We believe we are facing an entity that is capable of aggression at any point, and we are preparing ourselves for any Israeli aggression, be it on a small or large scale.
"We must be prepared for any Israeli response, under any pretext," Assad said. "Israel is directing its threats at Syria and the resistance movement (terror groups). The threats are also aimed at boosting the Israeli citizens' morale after a series of defeats."