New Iranian army chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Friday that Israel would no longer exist in 25 years, but would be destroyed by “acts of devotion” from “martyrs”, Iranian news agency Tasnin reported.

Speaking at a cultural event in the Iranian city of Qom on Thursday, the new chief said that should any country attempt to wage war against Iran, “Iran will be the one that will design the outcome.”

Giving an example of the type of martyr who would make Israel’s destruction possible, Mousavi cited Mohsen Hojaji, a member of the Iranian support team in Syria who was taken hostage and beheaded by the Islamic State earlier in the month.

Mousavi stated the world has realized it would be “impossible” to win against Iran militarily, calling the country “a symbol of resistance against the global hegemony”, according to Tasnin.

The general said the era of “hit and run” against Iran had ended.

Mousavi’s threats echoed those of other ranking Iranians who have predicted Israel’s downfall, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said in 2015 that the “Zionist regime… would not see the next 25 years.”