Iranian General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Photo: IranPolitik

Any attack on Iran by Israel would “hand us an excuse to wipe them off the face of the earth,” Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said Sunday.

Hajizadeh, announcing three days of missile tests by Iran, said the exercises should be seen as a message “that the Islamic Republic of Iran is resolute in standing up to … bullying, and will respond to any possible evil decisively and strongly,” according to the IRNA news agency.

Israel says it could attack Iran if diplomacy fails to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear aims. The U.S. also says military force is on the table as a last resort, but U.S. officials have repeatedly encouraged the Israelis to be patient while new sanctions take effect.