Tehran  - Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday warned the opposition and its supporters against misusing the annual anti-Israel rally to protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the government.

In a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA, the pro- Ahmadinejad guards warned the opposition supporters they faced a "decisive confrontation" if they used Friday's annual ceremony for their political aims.

The Iranian police has also warned the opposition not to misuse the anti-Israeli rally for internal political protests.

The late supreme leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had declared the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan as Qods
(Jerusalem) Day and called for mass rallies against Israel and in support of Palestine.

The opposition quartet of former premier Mir-Hossein Moussavi, former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and ex-presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani will reportedly attend the rally in Tehran.

Moussavi's website said that Qods Day was initiated by Ayatollah Khomeini and had nothing to do with the current government.

Attendance of opposition leaders could increase the possibility of their supporters joining the annual rally and overshadowing the anti- Israeli rally with anti-Ahmadinejad protests, and provoke clashes with police.

Moussavi's Green Movement supporters - green as the colour symbolizing protest and need for political change - have proclaimed on several Internet sites that they plan to expose their protests with green posters, wrist- and headbands and scarves.

The highlight of the Qods Day is the prayers ceremony at Tehran University.

Although in the last two decades prayers on the Qods Day has always been held by Rafsanjani, but the government decided to replace the moderate cleric with Ahmadinejad as pre-sermon speaker and pro- Ahmadinejad cleric Ahmad Khatami to lead the main sermon of the Friday prayer.

The government fears that since Rafsanjani joined the opposition camp against Ahmadinejad, his appearance could lead to anti- government protests which the Iranian establishment desperately wants to avoid.

Rafsanjani's last appearance at the prayer ceremony on July 17 led to widespread protests in several parts of Tehran against alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election which led to Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Rafsanjani said in a statement that the Qods Day should maintain its ant-Israeli nature and while referring to a possible clash between police and opposition supporters, he added that any other development would only please Israel.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week that the Qods rally should not be a venue for political disagreements but a united effort to support the Palestinian cause.(dpa)