Palestinian al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida hails the steadfastness of the Palestinian Resistance as it faces the Israeli occupation forces for the 200th day.
The Israeli occupation has proven impotent as it proved unsuccessful in making any advances in Gaza 200 days into its ruthless onslaught as it only commits massacres and destroys civilian infrastructure, al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Tuesday.
Today marks the 200th day of Israeli aggression on Gaza in the wake of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, an aggression that has thus far claimed the lives of more than 34,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. However, no one is touting an Israeli victory, as their declared goal of destroying the Resistance is not only far from being achieved, but also continuously proving to be unattainable.
The spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing underlined that the Israeli occupation continues to peddle the great lie that is its capacity to destroy all the Palestinian Resistance factions. “200 days later, and the Resistance is still unwavering. It will continue to deal blows to the occupation so long as its aggression continues and so long as it continues to exist on Palestinian land.”
“200 days later, the enemy is still stuck in the sands #Gaza with no goal, no horizon, and no retrieving of its captives,” Military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida said in a televised speech.
“One of the lies of the enemy government is its attempt to make the… https://t.co/PPUOjWycgh
The Resistance’s operations, the spokesperson said, “Will take new forms and adapt with new, adequate tactics.”
As the war entered its seventh month, Abu Obeida stressed that the Israeli occupation “is still stuck in the mud in Gaza with no hope on the horizon, and it will reap nothing but shame and defeat.”
The Resistance fighters are expelling and will continue to expel “this enemy despite being covered in ashes, rising from beneath the rubble as the whole world bears witness to the might of the Resistance fighters, not just through action on the battlefield but their withdrawal from various directions.”
The Israeli occupation is still trying to restore its image that was tarnished on October 7, the spokesperson underlined. “They aim to link their victory to invading Rafah, and it tries to sell the lie that it defeated all Resistance factions except for the Rafah Battalion.”
Ron Arad scenario to repeat itself
Commenting on the ongoing negotiations and prisoner swap talks, Abu Obeida said the Israeli occupation was attempting to rid itself of the pledges it made during the talks as it aims to gain more time. However, he added, “The Palestinian Resistance will not surrender the pivotal rights of the Palestinian people, chief among which is the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces, the lifting of the blockade, and the return of the displaced.”
Abu Obeida, addressing Israeli settlers, underlined that the ball was in the court of the Israeli regime, “but the window of time is very narrow, and they have very limited opportunities.”
He recalled the story of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who disappeared during a mission in the airspace of Lebanon in 1986, with no information being known about him since. “The Israeli captives in Gaza might be fortunate to meet the same fate as Ron Arad,” he said, warning the Israeli occupation against delaying the talks any further.
“The occupation’s policy of exerting military pressure will not push the Resistance but to adhere to its position and safeguard the rights of the people,” he said.
Iranian response set up new rules of engagement
Abu Obeida hailed Iran’s Operation True Promise carried out by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in Iran in response to the occupation’s aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus and emphasized that this response “set new rules of engagement and disarrayed the occupation,” as the regime’s backers scrambled to defend it from thousands of miles away.
The al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson went on to praise every military and popular effort made toward Operation al-Aqsa Flood, especially the fronts of Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq.
Abu Obeida said the leading edge front of the Resistance was the West Bank front. He also hailed the people of Jordan and called on them to escalate and called on the people of the Arab and Islamic Worlds to also escalate in support of the Palestinian people and cause.
“The hysteric reaction to the Resistance’s military actions on the various fronts indicates the importance of the armed struggle in the face of the occupying powers,” he concluded by saying.
200 days of genocide
The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 7 has risen to 34,183 and those injured to 77,143.
In its daily report, the Ministry said that the Israeli occupation forces have committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 32 martyrs and 59 injuries who were transferred to hospitals in the past 24 hours.
On its part, the Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces have committed a total of 3,025 massacres against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and dropped 75,000 tonnes of explosives on the enclave.
In an update on the figures resulting from 200 days of “Israel’s” genocidal war on Gaza, the Office emphasized that out of the 34,183 martyrs who reached hospitals, 14,778 are children and 9,752 are women. It added that 30 children lost their lives due to famine, confirming that 72% of the victims of the Israeli war were children and women.
According to the report, the Israeli occupation forces killed 485 medical staff, 67 civil defense crews, and 140 journalists.
It said that 7,000 are still missing and 17,000 children are now orphaned, living without one or both parents.
Multi-front solidarity
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah confirmed Tuesday that it engaged the headquarters of two Israeli military units in southern occupied Palestine in response to the assassination of one of its fighters in a southern Lebanese town earlier.
In a statement, Hezbollah said its Resistance fighters launched a combined aerial attack using diversionary and suicide drones and engaged the headquarters of the Golani Brigade and the Egoz Unit 621 at Shraga barracks north of the occupied city of Akka, hitting its targets precisely.
Reuters highlighted that this was Hezbollah’s “deepest attack” into occupied Palestinian territory since the start of the Gaza war on October 7.
Israeli media had earlier reported sirens sounding in the Upper al-Jalil area over a drone infiltration and mentioned that interception missiles were launched toward a suspicious aerial target in the skies of Nahariya.
The media also pointed out that sirens sounded in numerous northern settlements reaching the city of Akka. It was also noted that sirens sounded in Kiryat for the first time since last December.
The Israeli Army Radio confirmed that 200,000 Israelis took shelter in the north after three drones were launched from Lebanon over Nahariya.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has confirmed that the attack came in response to the aggression against the PMF, and in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a drone attack against a strategic Israeli target in the ’48 Israeli-occupied territories in response to the Israeli attack against a military base where a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) group was deployed.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Iraqi Resistance adopted the operation against the Eilat port on Saturday morning, noting that it was in response to the violation of Iraqi sovereignty, the aggression against the PMF, and in support of Gaza against the Israeli massacres and genocide against Palestinians in the Strip.
BREAKING: VIDEO OF ISLAMIC RESISTANCE OF IRAQ TARGETING EILAT “UMM RASHRASH” IN ISRAEL pic.twitter.com/JPKRhPr4tD
Earlier on Saturday, the director of Al Mayadeen‘s office in Baghdad confirmed that one person was killed and eight others were injured, as a result of the aggression that targeted the Kalsu Base in Musayib, south of the capital. He clarified that the aggression targeted the main entrance to the base and an office belonging to the PMF, adding that it was most likely carried out with drones.
Iraqi airspace remained bustling with the usual American air traffic, as confirmed by the director of our Baghdad office, who reported the monitored movement of an American air refueling plane in Iraqi airspace. Furthermore, another US State Department plane was tracked moving from Baghdad towards the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following the aggression, as per the ongoing report.
In turn, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq verified that an explosion took place at its headquarters at the Kalsu military base.
Iraqi Resistance announces targeting the Israeli ‘Ovda’ air base
Similarly, in a brief statement on Friday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that its Resistance fighters targeted the Israeli “Ovda” air base using drones.
The Islamic Resistance said that its resistance fighters targeted on “Monday, April 15, 2024, the Israeli Ovda air base in our occupied territories, using drones,” stressing that it would continue to destroy enemy strongholds.
The Resistance confirmed that the operation comes in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip and in retaliation for the massacres perpetrated by the occupation entity against the defenseless Palestinian civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
An airstrike hit the headquarters of the Chief of Staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq at the Kalsu Base, south of the capital Baghdad, resulting in one killed and several injuries.
In the meantime, Iraqi airspace remained bustling with the usual American air traffic, as confirmed by the director of our Baghdad office, who reported the monitored movement of an American air refueling plane in Iraqi airspace. Furthermore, another US State Department plane was tracked moving from Baghdad towards the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following the aggression, as per the ongoing report.
The director of Al Mayadeen‘s office in Baghdad confirmed on Saturday that one was killed and six people were injured, as a result of the air aggression that targeted the Kalsu Base in Musayib, south of the capital, with three raids. He clarified that the aggression targeted the main entrance to the base and an office belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), adding that it was most likely carried out with drones.
In turn, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq verified that an explosion took place at its headquarters at the Kalsu military base.
Iraqi security sources reported that an airstrike targeted the Kalsu military base, located south of Baghdad. The base includes forces from the army, federal police, and the PMF. The sources specified that the attack targeted the headquarters of the Chief of Staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a tank base, and the entrance to the headquarters of the Babylon Sites Command.
The Secretary-General of the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades in Iraq, Abu Alaa al-Walai said “We will respond to whoever is behind the attack on the PMF base”.
US denies involvement in the attack
US Central Command (Centcom) refuted what it described as “reports of American planes conducting airstrikes in Iraq today,” stating in a brief statement released following the aggression: “We are aware of reports claiming that the United States conducted airstrikes in Iraq today. Those reports are not true. The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today.”
We are aware of reports claiming that the United States conducted airstrikes in Iraq today. Those reports are not true. The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today.
In turn, the international coalition led by the United States stated that the “Coalition Forces did not participate or strike locations in Iraq. We are monitoring reports of an incident in Jurf Al Sakhar and remain prepared to support our Iraqi partners.”
Coalition Forces did not participate or strike locations in Iraq. We are monitoring reports of an incident in Jurf Al Sakhar and remain prepared to support our Iraqi partners.
In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, the Commander of the IRGC’s Navy, Alireza Tangsiri discusses Iran’s development as a world power, the efforts of the Axis of Resistance to champion and defend Gaza, and the fate of “Israel” and its allies.
Special coverage | The latest developments in the Al-Aqsa flood epic 04-09-2024
Al Mayadeen conducted an interview, which was broadcast on Tuesday, with the commander of the IRGC’s Navy, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. You can find the full, translated text of the Admiral’s answers below:
I welcome you here, as well as our dear viewers, and welcome to the city of Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the Islamic Revolution’s victory, Washington imposed a complete embargo on Iran, which did not own any material capabilities at the time. Most of our equipment and arsenal were US-made. Later, they would embroil us in an inadequate war against Saddam’s regime, in addition to an abundance of internal conflicts. However, with the grace of God, we managed to persevere and move forward after eight years of war, which prepared us for the upcoming confrontations.
Despite the embargo, sanctions, and economic predicaments Iran was faced with, it was able to advance in multiple military fields, build up its combat strength, manpower, special military training, and manufacture its own equipment.”
“Right now, we are at a level that allows us to export weapons, including rockets, warships, and radars, to naval forces, defense ministries, and armed forces, and we take pride in this capability, which makes rocket and ship manufacturing possible amid the embargo. We also take pride in the size, speed, assimilation, and resistive characteristics of our home-produced ships, which expedites their abilities throughout maritime battles.”
“Today, after over 40 years, we have emerged as a world power, and are the primary decision-makers in West Asia, whether it’s derived from the quality of our manufactured equipment or the preparedness of our armed forces. Today, we are proud to say that Iran is at the forefrontin regional power, and produces all it needs to defend its sovereignty,” he said.
On ‘Israel’s’ crushing defeat in Gaza
Speaking on the genocide in Gaza, Tangsiri described “Israel’s” extensive war as “heinous crimes against the oppressed yet brave and resilient Gaza”.
He revisited the Israeli war objectives from the war and affirmed that the occupation did not manage to achieve a single one.
In detail, the Rear Admiral said:
“They claim three determinants for their success in Gaza:
1. Defeating Hamas, but Hamas is stronger than ever, and sustained fewer losses.
2. The people’s desperation and hopelessness; but look at the highly spirited people in Gaza, who have lost their homes and their loved ones but remained resilient and faithful. The Zionists failed to break Gaza’s defiant and steadfast spirit.
3. The swift elimination of Gaza; but the entire world opposes the Zionists today. The “army” that claimed to be the strongest in West Asia, and third strongest in the world, being supported by the US military with aid and developed weapons used in modern wars, employed to kill Gazan children, has failed to achieve victory, whether militarily, politically, or socially.”
When asked about how such an entity could be fought, Tangsiri stressed the importance of Muslim unity.
“The only way to fight the Zionists is through the formation of an Islamic power and a coalition of Islamic armies. To quote Imam Khomeini, may his soul rest in peace, If every Muslim poured a bucket of water on Israel, it would be washed away.Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Here, I speak to all Muslim nations that think they would attain greater glory by counting on the Zionists’ friendship. The solution to removing the corruptive and criminal parasite is the unification of all Muslim nations and their armies. If we were united, we could bring an end to it. But this is not what is happening. The Zionists are not only treating Muslims this monstrously but have also shown our Christian brothers and sisters no mercy.
They destroyed churches and massacred Christians in Lebanon. The Zionists are not merciful towards anyone, not even their own supporters.
Unfortunately, the Zionists are striking Muslims with warplanes loaded with fuel supplied by Muslim nations. This is a disgrace, and the solution remains in unity against Zionism to ultimately remove it from existence.”
Iran advocates security in region
Tangsiri also detailed the West’s interests in the region, specifically the United States, and emphasized that Iran has always sought peace and security in the spirit of good neighborliness. However, he did not shy away from condemning the actions Iran’s neighboring countries have undertaken, particularly inviting Zionists into the region.
During talks with neighboring countries regarding the Strait of Hormuz, our message has always been that of peace and friendliness. Iran suffered under the oppression of a tyrant, so it revolted and offered martyrs in the quest for victory, but since then, we have been faced with the enmity of those same countries, as well as the United States and more. The US Army has now come to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, but they do not belong in our waters. We previously told our neighbors that the Persian Gulf and Oman’s Sea are national concerns of both them and Iran and that Iran’s security is theirs. We told them the West does not want this region to be stable or secure. The West considers these countries as a “milk cow”, but when the milk runs out, as in oil and gas resources in the region, it would slaughter us.
“Therefore, we have always advocated for the security of the region, and have assured that we can host joint military exercises in the Strait, in collaboration with our brothers from the Persian Gulf’s neighboring countries. We can maintain the region’s peace and security. Our oil and gas terminals are close to those of the neighboring countries. If we really wanted to, we could close these waterways down.
But we do not do this, because as long as we use this waterway and strait, then our neighbors would also have to, and should. But they have to recognize that we will not accept the presence of Zionist supporters in their governments because this is considered a security threat to Iran. We hope they do not make such errors, and reconsider their choices. Should the enemy come and restrain us, and act provocatively in an attempt to incite change in the region, then that is a different issue, to which a different decision would be made, at a later time.
Zionists in countries neighboring Iran
He revealed that Iran is now the main proponent for security of the region and that of the Hormuz Strait, and the constant traffic of more than 85 tankers carrying oil and gas cargo that safely pass through the strait every day.
However, he revealed that the arrival of the Zionists to the region, and their settlement within countries neighboring Iran, does not speak to peace or good neighborliness.
“Iran has relations with Arab countries, and the seven nations of Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, but bringing Zionists to our region… We know full well that they do not come for economic purposes or to establish bilateral relations between those countries and the child-killing criminals the world has begun rejecting.”
“What does it mean for a country to take pride in welcoming Zionists to the region?”, he asked.
“What are we to understand from such a gesture to us, to a country whose sea spans the entire length of the Persian Gulf, to a country that has beaches in the sea of Oman, to a country with such glory and greatness? Should we not consider this a threat? Is bringing Zionists to a neighboring country not a threat? They should acknowledge that if harm comes in our country’s way, then the place they came from will cease to exist. If they [neighboring countries] were indeed looking for security, then they would know that there is no room for Zionists in the region.
“I assure you, once again, that we would not attack a Muslim country unless it attacked us… Before the Islamic Revolution’s triumph, Iran had a Ministry of War. Today, we have a Ministry of Defense instead, which signifies that we would not attack any country if we were not attacked or conspired against. Those who choose to conspire and attack us though, will receive a hard blow, just like Saddam and his movement did.
“Therefore, we do not make threats and do not accept threats. Sometimes, a threat is merely speech. The Zionists’ presence in neighboring countries, which we fully acknowledge is not for economic purposes, but rather military and security ones, is a threat that should not materialize. This is a consideration we should always keep in mind.
US forces present in our neighbors’ waters
On the role of the US in the region, Tangsiri affirmed that it is but a plot to incite rifts and destabilize the region and its peace.
The US forces, he stated, are not present in Iran’s waters or territory. However, they are unfortunately present in Iran’s neighbors’ waters, not international ones.
“The United States should realize that the Persian Gulf is not an international sea, but Iran’s and its neighboring countries’. The US does not sail in international waters strait passing through our islands. We are constantly monitoring them, their movements, actions, and behavior. Our naval mission, under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is to defend our facilities in the Persian Gulf. We believe that if they enter the region, with their nuclear equipment, then the waters would not be viable for use for years after. We would be the ones affected by their presence.
But it is of their nature to create enemies, why? First, for weapons. And for an excuse to sell weapons. If there was no enemy to fight, then the region would not need weapons. Second, to ensure their presence in the region… If they did not claim an enemy was present in the region, then they would not need to remain in it. If they did, then it would be unjustifiable.
“Therefore, the constant sales of arms and weapons and their illegal presence in the region necessitates their claim of Iran being an enemy to its neighboring countries. If one of these countries gets attacked tomorrow, they will set fire to this land, leave it, and leave us affected. Which is why we should all remain careful and wary.”
The Resistance’s Mission
When asked about the Axis of Resistance, its emergence, and its role in the region, the IRGC commander stated that the Resistance’s mission has always been to champion Palestine and its liberation against “Israel” and its allies.
“The Axis of Resistance has always responded to threats in defense of the Palestinian people, because their lands are occupied and because Gaza’s resilient people are oppressed. We had never seen a people as resistant as that of Gaza. Countries backing the Zionists should be ashamed of themselves. The US supplied the Zionists with special bombs, which were dropped on women and children in Gaza. France, Britain, and others rushed to back the criminal, dirty, malicious, and child-killing Netanyahu… I do not know, are they really human? Do they call themselves human? A little child in fear, and shaking like that… a torn up child and a mother holding her children… I saw a father holding his martyred children in his hands… These countries are only helping this criminal. I believe the blood of over 14,000 children and women and all those innocents will seek retribution for their sins and will be the reason for “Israel’s” demise and end.
Their message was clear: Defend the occupation. And they announced the reason for their presence in the region in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. If you recall, in the early days of the war, a US aircraft carrier traveled through the Strait of Gibraltar and remained stationed in the Mediterranean.
What is the message it is carrying? That it intends to defend the Israeli occupation, which marks an eternal disgrace for them [the US]. The United States, in all its might – as it claims – and capabilities, and Britain and its capabilities, as well as France… They all came to murder innocent people. How could they raise their heads high as a moral army? Every army has pride, but it comes from respecting and adhering to the laws of war. But this is not a war. This is a people, in a very small land, surrounded and defenseless. But God is with them, and through Him, they will prevail.
At the start of this interview, I noted that the Zionists are so far defeated, and have not achieved any of their war objectives. Did they retrieve their captives? No. Did they destroy Hamas? No. Were they able to achieve their goal of victory? No, they did not emerge victorious, defeat Hamas, or release the hostages. So, they lost. It has been six months. And we cannot forget that six Arab Muslim nations did not achieve victory in the six-day war,” the leader reiterated.
Yemen, Hezbollah role in war
During the interview, Tangsiri was also asked about Yemen and Hezbollah’s role in the war against “Israel”.
To that, he stated that Hezbollah today is heroic, it is far stronger than it was at the beginning of the war, but until this moment, Hezbollah has not responded to the Zionist enemy, and were it to respond, it would have been an onslaught. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously announced that Hezbollah’s response would be fierce. Yemen today is much more solid than before, and Iraq and Iraqi Hezbollah are far stronger than before… The Resistance movements that surround the Zionist entity are the more powerful…
He called for trust in the Resistance, saying, “Do not worry about the Resistance; it is today capable of doing everything, and it is far stronger than it was in the earlier days of the war.”
Attack on Iranian consulate
Commenting on the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, he denounced the deliberate airstrike and highlighted the West’s hypocrisy in that regard.
According to Tangsiri, this crime did not happen in any other war. Embassies are meant to be safe places and are considered the territory of their respective countries. In that embassy, there were not only military advisors, but also women, children, and men.
“This attack is a crime. First of all, if we had done this, which we would never have, they would have strongly condemned us for committing such a crime. Look at the world, at the Europeans who watch these crimes and support themost corrupt people, and at the US which plays a very democratic and liberating role… We expected the United Nations to confront this crime more firmly, but they paved the way for us to do away with this ugliness.”
He also reaffirmed that Iran intends to respond to “Israel” for its crime.
“As our dear leader said, it will be responded to, but we do not act impulsively or hastily. We are not the kind of people who turn the other cheek after being hit. At the appropriate time, the relevant officials will deliver a strong blow, God willing. At the head of our armed forces is a scholar who knows God, is patient, wise, and rational and logically governs the Iranian armed forces. We act and respond when we see fit. But we will definitely respond, and as the leader said, we will not leave the matter unanswered.
“We are a force ready for battle. We are military men. We are ready for any mission they order us to carry out. Do you expect me to say what we will do? That is not correct. We are 100% ready for any order that may be issued. Today, the naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and our heroic army are ready to pluck out the eye of anyone who wants to harm our country and will carry out the orders that may be issued at the appropriate time.”
Western powers have brought in their ships to support the occupation, but the brave Yemenis withstood against them. As our leader said, if Yemen was not under siege, we would have certainly aided it. Yemen today produces its own artillery, missiles, and boats, and is standing strong against the enemies, against the US and Britain, in support of the oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza.
Glorious Yemen
Discussing Yemen’s development as a Resistance power as well, Tangsiri said that after eight years of an imposed and harsh war against the country, Ansar Allah, and the Yemeni Army, it has now reached a level where it can confront great powers such as the United States.
He said that Ansar Allah is manufacturing missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has established a naval force, despite the embargo and sanctions imposed on the country.
Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi affirmed that they could target the West’s ships, even if they were in Southern Africa. Today, Tangsiri said, Ansar Allah is targeting ships 600, 700, and even 1,000 kilometers away. Day after day, Ansar Allah keeps developing its capabilities. There are brave men taking control of the force and defending their country.
He stressed Yemen’s independence from Iran despite being allied and part of the Axis of Resistance, against claims that Resistance factions in the region serve as Iran’s proxies.
“Yemen is an independent country, and the Resistance is an independent force that was born to crush oppression. Yemen and its Resistance do not wait for our orders, but we are indeed concerned with the Resistance.
“We love the Palestinians, and we support anyone who takes a stance against oppression and struggles in the fight for the cause. We saw injustice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and although we did not have common borders with them, and their population included both Muslims and non-Muslims, we helped them and offered them moral support, and never fell short in the help we could offer. We stand with the oppressed. We love and appreciate the men of the Resistance in Yemen, and take pride in them. The Islamic world must take pride in them. They do not need a force that leads them, because they have a leader. Just like Hezbollah has a leader, and Yemen and Iraq have leaders, and they act based on their interests. They have enough wisdom to know when and how to act.”
The Final Message
Before concluding the interview, the IRGC admiral called on Muslim nations, specifically those neighboring Iran, and said ‘Life is fleeting, and if we do not defend those that are oppressed, we will be asked about it on Judgment Day. I am addressing Muslim leaders who own the means of governing. Take the opportunity, because while Christians and followers of other religions protest in solidarity with Gaza, it is a disgrace that Arab countries do not hold such marches and protests.’
I also wish to address the leaders that are fueling the Zionist enemy’s jetplanes… [How can] they take our oil and turn it into fuel for a bomb they drop over the heads of Muslims who say ‘There is no god but God, God is great, and God is sufficient for us’? Are they not the people that are dropping bombs on Gaza’s people? The war will end, and God willing, The people of Gaza will emerge victorious. But what have we offered during this time?
“We ask God to raise the martyrs of Gaza and the Resistance, whether in our dear Lebanon, dear Iraq, or dear Yemen, to where the prophet of God and his holy Imams rest.”
In his last address to the Al Mayadeen crew conducting the interview, he expressed his thanks, saying “I profoundly thank you, particularly for coming here twice. Forgive us for the warm weather, and perhaps the circumstances were more difficult for you, but we fully know that your cameras are important, and powerful, just like Al Mayadeen. It is the voice of the oppressed, and you represent their voices. God willing, He will note what you have done for the oppressed, and you will hold your heads high before the Resistance’s martyrs and the oppressed people of Gaza.”
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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched a series of targeted attacks against Israeli interests in response to the Zionist aggression on Gaza.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the group claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a power plant in Tel Aviv, located in the occupied Palestinian territories.
This action, carried out on March 21, 2024, is part of a larger effort to resist the occupation and support the people of Gaza in the face of the Zionist massacres against Palestinian civilians.
This latest attack follows similar actions, including a drone strike on the Israeli Ben Gurion Airport on March 20 and a previous attack on the same airport on March 12.
Additionally, the resistance has targeted other vital installations in the occupied territories, such as oil refineries in Haifa and a military barracks at the Israeli Rosh Pina Airport.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the beginning of the second phase of its operations against the occupation on January 24. This announcement came amidst escalating tensions, including the targeting of the headquarters of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces by the United States.
As the Iraqi Resistance continues to pressure the US to halt support for Israel’s war on Gaza, Baghdad – and Moscow – align closer with their agenda to expel US troops from Iraq.
Surveillance devices on a local Baghdad thoroughfare captured on camera the assassination of an Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades leader, Abu Baqir al-Saadi, in a 7 February US missile attack. The images show a missile piercing the roof of his vehicle, then deviating to the right of Al-Baladiyat street, leaving a wake of flames in its incendiary path.
Against the backdrop of the widening, US-backed and armed Israeli war on Gaza, the US airstrikes against Iraq and Syria were meant to deliver a strong message of deterrence to Iran’s allies in the Axis of Resistance, who are targeting US military interests in West Asia in response to the carnage in Gaza.
But the strikes have instead served mainly to embarrass the Iraqi government and its domestic allies, prompting a reevaluation of the country’s relationship with Washington and reviving calls for an end to the US military presence in Iraq.
Despite a steady stream of US threats and intimidation tactics employed to deter the Iraqi resistance since late last year, these factions have incrementally increased and expanded their engagement in the region-wide war, driven by their commitment to the Palestinian resistance and its liberation goals. The Iraqi groups have a specific goal: pressure Washington until it forces a Gaza truce – a strategic target that reflects the unity of purpose among the resistance factions in Iraq and the region.
Speaking to The Cradle, a senior leader of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) sheds light on the significance of the Hamas-led Al-Aqsa flood operation launched on 7 October 2023. That event, he says, is viewed as a game-changer by Palestinian resistance factions, and has sent shockwaves through the corridors of power in Tel Aviv, Washington, and allied capitals.
The operation is seen as a historical process challenging the status quo of the past seven decades and redefining the social, security, and military dynamics in the region, the source explains.
‘Unity of Fronts’: putting theory into practice
Barely two weeks after Al-Aqsa Flood and its aftermath, The Cradle’s Iraq correspondent posited “Will Yemen and Iraq join Palestine’s Al-Aqsa Flood?” At the time, it was noted that any potential involvement of Resistance Axis members other than Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the war “would likely materialize in the form of drone and missile attacks targeting specific objectives, as per the Resistance Axis’ strategic convergence in the Unity of Fronts.”
The “Red Sea crisis” that unfolded on the Ansarallah-led Yemeni front, in addition to scores of Iraqi resistance attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria since October seem to confirm this hypothesis.
In Iraq’s case, the greatest military burden was assumed by four of the resistance factions identified by Kataib Hezbollah Secretary General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi: his own group Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and Ansarallah al-Aufiaa. As one IRI official tells The Cradle:
“The fronts are opened at the discretion of the leaders (of these groups) themselves, based on religious, ideological, and moral commitments stemming from the nature of the Iraqi character in the first place.”
Over the past few months, the IRI has demonstrated its versatility by employing a variety of tactics and weaponry in around 188 separate military operations against US targets. These range from missile strikes on US bases in Iraq to drone attacks against US occupation forces in Syria, and even include the targeting of distant Israeli territories such as Ashdod, Haifa, and the occupied Golan Heights.
An official source in the IRI confirms to The Cradle that “We bombed with ballistic missiles American bases, even those in Iraq, and this was not limited to distant targets in the depth, or in the occupied territory.”
However, as tensions escalated, strains in the relationship between Baghdad and Washington became palpable. The Iraqi government found itself caught between the embarrassment of complicity and the challenge of maintaining control over security affairs. Even some of the resistance factions themselves felt the squeeze of external pressures, notably Kataib Hezbollah, who on 31 January announced a temporary suspension of operations against US forces and Israeli targets.
The halt came in the immediate aftermath of the killing of three US soldiers in Tower 22 along the Jordanian-Syrian border, in an Iraqi resistance operation unprecedented in its depth which was viewed as a direct challenge to Washington’s perceived invincibility. As expected, the operation caused a spike in tensions, causing some ferocious shuttle diplomacy in the following days and provoking a strong, disproportionate US military response.
Economic and strategic considerations
For factions like Kataib Hezbollah and Al-Nujaba, the decision to suspend operations was a calculated move to gauge Washington’s response. Yet, the US military’s targeted assassination of Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi caught them off guard, eliciting a sharp condemnation of the US attack from Baghdad. Saadi’s faction, it should be noted, is part of the Popular Mobilization Units that defeated ISIS, and is therefore under the umbrella of the Iraqi armed forces.
This time, the Iraqi government had no choice but to side with the resistance, while the IRI issued a stern warning to the US in which it signaled a return to operations.
US Vice President Kamala Harris then extended an invitation to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to visit Washington. A postponed September 2023 White House visit to meet US President Joe Biden makes Sudani, notably, the only Iraqi prime minister yet to visit the US in an official capacity.
Following the Iraqi prime minister’s return from Munich earlier in February, US Ambassador to Iraq Elena Romansky met with him to coordinate the agenda for his upcoming visit to the US and ensure alignment on the topics to be discussed.
Romansky stated that “the leaders also discussed the importance of continuing the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which will enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq and is the natural next step to build on the very successful collaboration of the past 10 years between Iraq and the Defeat ISIS coalition.”
What cannot be ignored, however, is that these diplomatic initiatives followed a series of coercive measures by the US Treasury to diminish the value of the Iraqi dinar against the US dollar. While Iraq – both officially and among its various political factions – insists that leveraging the volume of Iraqi oil exports as a bargaining chip in the global market is an ineffective negotiating tool, there are those who anticipate seizing the opportunity of market scarcity to increase their share by two million barrels.
Sudani mission is a difficult one. He must hammer out a solution that fulfills his government’s commitment to remove foreign military forces forces from Iraqi soil without triggering negative US repercussions.
Baghdad backs the resistance
According to leaks, the Iraqi prime minister reportedly reached an agreement with the IRI to suspend its military operations against US bases in order to facilitate his negotiations for the complete withdrawal of international coalition forces from Iraq.
Yet, any decision in this regard risks eliciting a negative response from Washington, which brandishes an ever-present arsenal of pressure tactics. This is particularly concerning given that Iraqi oil revenues are still required to pass through the US Federal Bank before being released to Baghdad.
Members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives are actively working to proceed with a law to remove foreign forces from Iraq, with majority representation from Shia-dominated central and southern Iraq. However, Sunni factions remain ambiguous in their stance toward the coordination framework blocs’ efforts to enact such legislation. In addition, Kurdish parties, notably the Kurdistan Democratic Party, vehemently oppose any consideration of US military withdrawal from Iraq.
In response to these dynamics, the Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed Moscow’s willingness to bolster Iraqi forces following the departure of unwanted foreign troops. The Russian offer has compounded the pressure on Washington, prompting a reassessment of the waning US strategic position in West Asia.
Researchers close to Iraq’s Coordination Framework coalition, a collective of Iraqi political parties that played the key role in the formation of Sudani’s government, suggest that this development – coupled with the military pressure exerted by the resistance – has strengthened the official Iraqi stance and compelled the US to engage with and heed the demands of the Iraqi cabinet.
As the resistance factions step up their military operations in response to the US-backed Israeli assault of Gaza, it becomes clear that there is a growing synergy between the Iraqi government and the Iranian-supported elements of the armed forces.
This alignment forms part of a broader regional resistance faction, with a strategic focus on not only the liberation of Palestine, but also the safeguarding of Iraq’s sovereignty in its entirety.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
The visit of former Lebanese PM Saad Hariri to Beirut has tongues wagging. Will the impetus of the expanding Gaza war force a Saudi–Syrian settlement that can once more impose stability in Lebanon?
The visit of former Lebanese PM Saad Hariri to Beirut has tongues wagging. Will the impetus of the expanding Gaza war force a Saudi–Syrian settlement that can once more impose stability in Lebanon?
On 21 February, a Syrian website, citing sources in Damascus, broadcasted news that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) would shortly pay a visit to Syria, causing an uproar in regional political circles. Despite government-aligned newspaper Al-Watan denying the report, the prospect of a top Saudi visit evoked memories of an era past when Syrian–Saudi understanding secured Lebanon’s internal balances, which are shaken or resolved based on the tempo of West Asia’s hegemons and the status of their relations with one another.
عاجل – مصدر سوري مطلع لـ"الوطن": لا يوجد أي شيء رسمي حول زيارة محتملة لولي العهد السعودي الأمير محمد بن سلمان إلى سورية.
A decisive response to rumors of an impending MbS visit remains elusive. A Syrian diplomatic source would only confirm to The Cradle that “Syrian–Saudi communication is gradually developing, and the discussions have become more detailed about the mutual common interests of the two countries” concerning the “post-war scene in Gaza.”
While the source did not deny or confirm Bin Salman’s visit, he suggested that the development of communications might reach the stage of “mutual visits” not only with Saudi Arabia “but also with Egypt.”
While the improvement in relations between Syria and Arab states is not limited to Saudi Arabia, discussions with Riyadh have become more significant recently – to the extent that an Arab foreign minister, believed to be the Emirati FM, made an effort in mid-February to persuade members of the US Congress to retract its Syrian boycott law, which US-based anti-Syria activists insist on upholding. A source tells The Cradle that these activists “train with a US agency, alongside the Iranian opposition, on formulating and marketing these lobbying projects and forming pressure groups” to halt any policy reversals in Washington.
But the discussion about reopening relations with Damascus is no longer only taking place in Arab corridors. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, in an announcement following talks last week with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, revealed “the work of the Republic of Cyprus in cooperation with other member states” to advance European–Syrian ties.
The EU, in general, shares that view about opening up member-states’ relations with Damascus, in discussionswhich the Syrian source says are also progressing, especially in the matter of identifying “the parts of Syria that are sufficiently safe” for the return of refugee populations.
On 16 February, on the sidelines of the 60th Munich Security Conference in Germany, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell to discuss several regional issues, including Syria, reports Anadolu Agency, which quotes Turkish Foreign Ministry sources as saying “both sides” stressed the need to involve Damascus “in the political process.”
As for the Americans, the White House is engaged in difficult negotiations with many Arab states “in search of a diplomatic achievement” for the Joe Biden administration as his re-election campaign heats up. Washington is busy seeking mechanisms to consolidate its interests in West Asia within the significant barriers created by the Chinese-brokered Saudi–Iranian rapprochement agreement, which, for the US, has been maddeningly stable thus far. Indeed, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan went to bat in Munich for his “Iranian neighbors,” saying the Iranians “do not want escalation in the region.”
As US–Iraqi negotiations over US troop withdrawal pick up pace, a Syrian source tells The Cradle that an American delegation “visited northeastern Syria, to discuss the possibilities of maintaining a US presence there in the event of withdrawal from Iraq.” Interestingly, the head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, Faleh al-Fayyad, visited Turkiye on 20 February to discuss “the future of the process of securing the borders from Kurdish organizations in the event that the US–Iraqi negotiations lead to the dismantling of the US military bases and the retention of officers as advisors only,” according to an Iraqi journalist source.
Where does this leave Lebanon?
There is no doubt that the recent Beirut visit of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri – who currently resides in Abu Dhabi, which enjoys friendly relations with Syria – resonated deeply in Lebanon. It was viewed as a harbinger of the return of “Hariri-ism,” which comes laden with regional political settlements and top-level shuttle diplomacy – and reflected a tacit sign of new Saudi approval.
During his visit, Hariri spoke in the language of his father – former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, assassinated in Beirut on 14 February 2005 – about “peace and stability” in Lebanon and its neighborhood, and even invoked, during an interview with Saudi news channel Al-Hadath, his father’s key political role in Lebanon’s civil war in paving the way to the Saudi-brokered Taif Agreement that settled the 15-year conflict.
It is important to note that Riyadh–Hariri relations have been estranged for years – unlike the close Saudi relations his father enjoyed. Tensions between them grew during the war in Syria, with Hariri’s inability or unwillingness to curb Lebanon’s Hezbollah from defending the Syrian state from a Saudi-backed war.
While Hariri said during his Beirut stopover that the time was not yet ripe for him to return to Lebanon’s muddy political arena, he offered his “intervention” if he “felt that the Sunni community in Lebanon was leaning toward extremism.” Many have linked his comments to the trial of 84 civilians in the UAE last week, charged with membership in “Muslim Brotherhood” (MB) organizations – a group banned in the UAE – as well as Turkiye’s remarkable withdrawal of MB leading figure Mahmoud Hussein’s citizenship amidst Ankara’s thrust to mend ties with Abu Dhabi.
A Lebanese source who accompanied Hariri on his visit hints to The Cradle that “concern over the Muslim Brotherhood may pave the way for the return of Hariri’s relations with Syria.” In other words, the former PM could gain support from the anti-MB Saudis, Emiratis, and Syrians if he toes this political line within Lebanon. Interestingly,a Lebanese figure close to pro-MB Qatar attacked Hariri immediately upon his arrival at the airport via X (formerly known as Twitter).
Regional winds appear to be shifting direction, in large part because the Gulf’s traditional “guarantor” of security, the United States, is knee-deep in fanning an untenable crisis by unconditionally supporting Israel’s assault on Gaza. In Munich, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sought a “Palestinian consensus” that would pave the way for a “two-state” settlement, in which, according to him, Hamas is excluded. The Arab–Islamic consensus is currently seeking a long-term Palestinian solution after the dust in Gaza settles, which would necessarily include luring “Hamas” and “Fatah” into a national consensus government.
In Beirut, former President Michel Aoun senses this consensus and has made a show of opposing any links of “Lebanon’s fate to Gaza.” Aoun, who once opposed the Taif Agreement, awaits the opportunity to oppose it again. This is, of course, a domestic play mainly to ensure the country’s minority Christian voice is heard in whatever political arrangements lie over the horizon.
But Gaza remains unavoidable in Lebanon, with Israel waging war against Hezbollah on the country’s southern border, which reached 45 kilometers into the country this week when Tel Aviv struck civilian sites near Sidon. The Gaza war is now being played out in multiple theaters – in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Yemen – and has the potential to expand and deepen further. It is this war waged by Israel and its US ally that is rapidly drawing Arab states to recalibrate the region’s direction from within and amongst themselves.
This begs the question now frequently heard in Beirut: What if Damascus, Riyadh, and Tehran agree this time? Everyone is waiting for that moment to reserve their seats in West Asia’s latest theater.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned today that the enemy will pay the price in blood for the civilian deaths in Nabatiyeh and Al-Suwanah, emphasizing that targeting civilians will not go unanswered, citing the resistance’s missile strikes on Kiryat Shmona as a preliminary response.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made these statements in a televised speech broadcast live from Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday, marking Hezbollah’s Martyred Leaders Day, which annually falls on February 16.
During the ceremony, Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated the resilience of the resistance and its commitment to defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity. He criticized the international community for its failure to support Gaza and called out the American administration for its hypocrisy in the Palestinian conflict.
Sayyed Nasrallah also highlighted the resistance’s role in exposing Israeli plans to displace Palestinians and establish a purely Jewish state. He called for unity among resistance factions and reaffirmed their goal of supporting Gaza’s victory.
The event concluded with Sayyed Nasrallah honoring the martyred leaders, stating that their presence remains influential in guiding the party’s path and objectives.
South Lebanon’s Massacres Won’t Go Unanswered
Sayyed Nasrallah declared that the Israeli regime would ‘pay with blood’ for the recent killing of civilians in the country’s south.
His eminence’s speech followed an Israeli strike two days prior that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, claiming the lives of seven family members, including a child. Another attack by the Israeli occupation in the village of Al-Suwanah in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of a woman and her two children.
Condemning these Israeli strikes as ‘deliberate massacres,’ Sayyed Nasrallah stated that Tel Aviv must realize it ‘went too far’ by targeting civilians.
“The recent Israeli massacres against civilians in the south were deliberate. We are deeply entrenched in a real battle, and concerning the fighters, their martyrdom is an integral aspect of this struggle. However, when it concerns civilians, this issue is particularly sensitive and has been present since the inception of the resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“In February 1992, the resistance formulated a strategy to protect civilians, which was formally established in July 1993,” Sayyed Nasrallah explained, warning: “We absolutely condemn any harm to civilians, and it is imperative that the enemy realizes they have crossed a red line in this regard.”
Sayyed Nasrallah asserted that the resistance’s missile strikes on Kiryat Shmona were a preliminary response to Israeli massacres of civilians in southern Lebanon. “Yesterday, we launched dozens of Katyusha rockets and several Falaq rockets at the “Kiryat Shmona” settlement as an initial response.”
He vowed that those responsible for the deaths in Nabatiyeh, Al-Suwanah, and other southern villages would face retribution, emphasizing that the price for such bloodshed would be paid in kind, not through infrastructure or military assets. “Both friend and foe will witness that the price for this bloodshed will be exacted in blood, not in structures, vehicles, or surveillance devices.” “Since October 7, there has been immense global pressure to prevent the southern front from opening up to support Gaza. The enemy’s tactic, through targeting civilians, is to coerce the resistance into halting its actions. The response to the massacre must be an escalation of resistance efforts on the front. The enemy should anticipate this response.”
It is essential for everyone to understand that in Palestine, they are confronting a people who will not retreat, regardless of the sacrifices or challenges they face, Sayyed Nasrallah said. His eminence highlighted Hezbollah’s significant missile capabilities, extending from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, underscoring the resistance’s preparedness to defend Lebanon’s territory and people. “The Lebanese resistance possesses formidable and precise missile capabilities, enabling its reach from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat.”
Sayyed Nasrallah also addressed the ongoing conflict in Palestine, stating that the Palestinians are an unwavering people who will not yield, regardless of the sacrifices endured. “Since 1984, there has been ongoing discourse regarding the cost, price, consequences, and sacrifices associated with resistance,” he said.
Regarding regional dynamics, Sayyed Nasrallah mentioned Yemen, noting the continued targeting of ships amid American and British aggression. He emphasized the interconnectedness of regional pressure dynamics, particularly in support of Gaza. “The Yemeni brothers have persisted in targeting American and British ships, but the focal point of the main battle remains the events unfolding in Gaza.”
Sayyed Nasrallah dismissed calls for surrender, affirming that resistance remains the only viable option. He warned against distractions from the primary goal of defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity, emphasizing that resistance is not about imposing political options but safeguarding the country’s honor and resources.
“In response to the American and Zionist projects in the region, we are presented with two options: resistance or surrender.”
He highlighted the dire consequences of surrender, including displacement and loss of sovereignty, contrasting this with the empowerment of Israel had the Palestinian people surrendered years ago. Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that resistance fighters understand the risks, with martyrdom being an integral part of the ongoing battle.
“The cost of surrender is steep, perilous, exceedingly high, and critically important. Surrender in Lebanon would entail Israeli political and economic dominance over our nation. Had the Palestinian people surrendered, today Gaza, the West Bank, and even the people in the 1948 territories would all be outside the equation,” Hezbollah’s leader warned.
His eminence emphasized the importance of protecting civilians and reiterated the resistance’s commitment to this principle. He denounced the enemy’s strategy of targeting civilians to pressure the resistance, emphasizing that such actions only fuel the resistance’s resolve.
Sayyed Nasrallah praised the effectiveness of popular resistance in achieving liberation and breaking the balance of Israeli deterrence. He called for a steadfast commitment to the resistance, emphasizing that its presence and capabilities are essential for deterring the enemy and ensuring a dignified life for all Lebanese.
Resistance Exposes Israeli Plans, Calls Out American Hypocrisy
Sayyed Nasrallah continued his speech by highlighting the pivotal role of resistance in challenging Israeli aggression and exposing its true intentions. Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized the impact of the “flood of Al-Aqsa” operation, which revealed Israeli plans to displace Palestinians and establish a purely Jewish state.
“The resistance in Palestine has pushed the Zionist entity into an existential crisis, with the pinnacle being Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Today, in Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, and throughout the region, we must never lose sight of the truth about the costs of resistance versus the costs of surrender,” he made it clear.
“Isn’t it humiliating and a sign of weakness that countries ruling over two billion Muslims are unable to deliver medicine to the people of Gaza?” he wondered.
Sayyed Nasrallah criticized the international community’s failure to provide basic necessities to Gaza, questioning the morality of countries ruling over two billion Muslims. He condemned the American administration for its complicity in the suffering of Gaza, noting that if the US halted its weapons shipments to the Zionist entity, the aggression would cease.
The Hezbollah leader condemned the media’s portrayal of Hamas as “ISIL,” emphasizing that Hamas has been unjustly accused without evidence. He called out the hypocrisy of world leaders who condemn Hamas while ignoring Israeli atrocities against Palestinian civilians. “Today, one of our responsibilities is to clarify the facts, as there has been a significant Israeli distortion of events since October 7. The Israeli media attempted to portray the resistance and Hamas on October 7 as ‘ISIL’ in a distorted manner,” Hezbollah’s S.G. said, adding: The Israelis failed to present a single slaughtered child or raped girl to the world. Instead, the settlers who were killed were actually victims of Israeli army fire.”
He regretted how some parts believed in the Israeli historical falsification regarding October 7, including countries that claim to be friends with the Hamas movement.
Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that the US is the one willing to extend the war in Gaza.
“The greatest hypocrisy the world is witnessing today is the American administration’s stance on the events unfolding in Gaza. Israeli funds, weapons, missiles, and artillery shells currently originate from Washington. If the United States halts the air bridge to ‘Israel,’ the aggression against Gaza will cease. America is more adamant about the goal of eliminating Hamas than ‘Israel’. The American administration bears responsibility for every drop of blood shed in the region, while Israeli officials serve as mere instruments of implementation.”
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed the need for regional governments to reject the displacement of Palestinians, emphasizing the importance of unity in confronting such challenges. He reiterated the resistance axis’s goal of supporting Gaza’s victory and affirmed that they do not interfere in Palestinian negotiation processes.
“The Israeli goal was to displace Palestinians from occupied Palestine, relocating the people of the West Bank to Jordan, those of Gaza to Egypt, and those of the 1980s to Lebanon. However, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood exposed this long-standing Israeli objective of establishing a purely Jewish state extending from the sea to the river. The project of establishing a purely Jewish state not only targets Palestinians but also poses a threat to Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon.”
He affirmed the importance of popular resistance: “In memory of our martyred leaders, we reaffirm the efficacy of popular resistance as a viable option.”
“No matter how we articulate or elucidate, our words cannot fully capture the legendary resistance and steadfastness of the people in Gaza. This serves as a testament to the effectiveness of popular resistance,” he said.
Our objective, he continued, is to impose the highest possible material and human losses on the enemy, compelling them to admit defeat and withdraw. “Our aim is the resilience of the resistance, the endurance of the people of Gaza, and the steadfastness of our supporting fronts, be it through field military support or political and logistical backing.”
The Palestinian factions that delegated Hamas are primarily responsible for political negotiations, and we do not interfere in their negotiation process. All military and logistical support is directed towards Hamas and the Palestinian resistance, symbolizing the fronts of the resistance axis.
NO Political Price for Resistance’s Triumph
Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated the party’s commitment to the resistance as a means of defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity, emphasizing that its purpose is not to interfere with Lebanon’s political system or sectarian balance. He also reiterated that the resistance weapon is not aimed at changing Lebanon’s political system or constitution but is solely focused on defending the country’s sovereignty and dignity.
“We call for the Lebanese army to be a strong and capable force, but it is America that hinders its strength,” he said.
“In a country like Lebanon, we must now more than ever hold onto the resistance, its weapons, and its capabilities. This is what works, what deters and frightens the enemy, and this is the strength of popular resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out.
He assured that neither Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, nor any other participating faction on the front has discussed the imposition of a president or amendments to the quotas or political system in the current context. “The purpose of the resistance weapon is not to alter the political system, the constitution, or the system of government, nor is it to impose new sectarian quotas in Lebanon.”
“The matter of resistance transcends these considerations, as it pertains to the defense of Lebanon, the south, our people, and their dignity.”
In the context of Lebanon’s borders, Sayyed Nasrallah declared that they have been demarcated and any negotiations will be based on the principle of being out of our land. “Lebanon’s land borders have been delineated, and any negotiations will be based on the principle of ‘Get out of our Lebanese land,’” he affirmed.
Addressing the ceremony, Sayyed Nasrallah began his speech with showing pride on the resistance leaders who have a deep desire to sacrifice themselves in this divine path. “One of the fundamental aspects of this march and resistance is the willingness of its scholars and leaders to become martyrs, often alongside their honorable families.”
“The sacrifices made by the resistance movements are not merely emotional or reactionary; rather, they stem from a deep understanding, insight, and knowledge of their goals,” he said. Source: Al-Manar English Website
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What are the deterrent dimensions and messages addressed to “Tel Aviv” and Washington in Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech?
Fighters from the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, Sunday, May 21, 2023 (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
An Israeli report underlines that the Israeli occupation has no chance in the face of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon as the latter’s capabilities would rapidly overwhelm “Tel Aviv”.
Israeli news outlet Calcalist shed light on the grim analysis of the potential war, which warns of unprecedented destruction and bloodshed in a conflict that could surpass the Israeli occupation’s worst fears.
The potential war between the Israeli occupation and Lebanon’s Hezbollah holds a grim reality for the Israeli occupation, as it would be the most devastating war it has gone through since its inception, as per a three-year study conducted by hundreds of experts at the Counter-Terrorism Policy Institute at Reichman University.
The exhaustive 130-page report was a collaborative effort of six think tank teams, consisting of 100 experts, former military and security officials, academics, and government officials. Notably, the team was led by Professor Boaz Ganor, a globally recognized pioneer in so-called “terrorism research” and the current president of Reichman University.
The report delves into critical aspects, including the readiness of the Israeli forces and the home front for a multi-front war. Key contributors to the study include Reserve Major General Aharon Ze’evi Farkash, Reserve Major General Isaac Ben-Israel, Reserve Brigadier Generals Zeev Zuk Ram and Betzalel Treiber, Reserve Colonel Eran Makov, Haim Tomer, and former Justice Minister Dan Meridor.
Despite the gravity of the findings, Calcalist suggests that doubts surround the timing of the report’s release, hinting at possible concealment or manipulation. Ganor reportedly presented the report to various Israeli military and political leaders in the months leading up to the Palestinian Resistance’s October 7 operation. However, the attempts to alert security agencies and decision-makers were allegedly unsuccessful, according to the Israeli media outlet.
The report was presented to senior Israeli officials over the span of 40 meetings with figures as high-ranking as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Security Minister Moshe Ya’alon, and former Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, among others.
Professor Ganor expressed his disappointment in failing to secure meetings with more high-profile figures like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, despite multiple requests.
Of particular concern is the claim that only the findings of five think tank teams were made public, with the section prepared by the sixth team, focusing on aspects related to a potential Israeli preemptive attack, remaining strictly confidential.
Hellfire to rain down on ‘Israel’
Ganor’s report suggests that the war, anticipated to erupt from the north, will be overwhelmingly intense for the Israeli occupation, with Hezbollah launching a whopping 2,500 to 3,000 missiles per day. This barrage includes both statistically inaccurate rocket artillery and high-precision long-range missiles.
Periodically, Hezbollah is expected to unleash massive salvos targeting specific areas, such as crucial Israeli military bases or cities in the key “Gush Dan” region, where hundreds of rockets could rain down in a single day.
The relentless assault is projected to persist day after day, extending over three weeks from the outbreak of hostilities. The report warns that the resulting destruction will be unprecedented, accompanied by thousands of casualties on both the front lines and among Israeli settlers within occupied Palestine, sparking a state of panic and disarray.
One of the primary objectives of Hezbollah’s prospective operations, as highlighted by Ganor, is to undermine the Israeli forces’ air defense system. Precision ammunition and low-flying aerial devices, including drones, gliders, and cruise missiles, are expected to inflict material damage and target Iron Dome batteries.
The pace of the barrage will present unprecedented challenges to Israeli capabilities, depleting reserves of interception missiles for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling within the early days of the conflict. The Israeli occupation could be left exposed to thousands of rocket and missile attacks without an effective and reliable defensive mechanism.
Simultaneously, Hezbollah aims to sabotage the activities of the Israeli Air Force and limit its operational capabilities as heavy precision missiles will be directed at takeoff runways within specific timeframes to hinder repair efforts and aerial offensives.
Intensive fire will target hangars storing military aircraft and precision missiles with explosive warheads will strike sensitive infrastructure, including power stations, electricity-related facilities, desalination plants, and transportation facilities in Haifa and “Ashdod”, the report underlined.
The report’s research team also issued a dire warning that a swarm of dozens of suicide drones flying at very low altitudes would target critical assets within occupied Palestine. These include weapons facilities, emergency storage facilities for the Israeli occupation forces, and hospitals that would be needed for the unprecedented casualties that would be incurred.
The assault won’t be limited to physical attacks; critical transportation infrastructure, communication channels, and sites related to government ministries and local authorities are expected to face widespread cyberattacks, posing a serious risk of disrupting the economy.
Hezbollah, allies to overwhelm ‘Israel’
The report highlights that chaos is expected to escalate within the Israeli occupation as Hezbollah prepares to send hundreds of fighters from the Radwan force into Israeli territories. Their primary objective would be to gain control of settlements along the border area with Lebanon and strategic military sites in the northern region.
This would force the Israeli army to divert its efforts from immediate operations in Lebanon, engaging in ground maneuvers to counter the imminent threat.
Internally, the Israeli public is anticipated to face challenges in receiving updated and reliable information about the unfolding situation, leading to a loss of trust in messages relayed by official sources.
The potential for panic and fear is expected to intensify due to the significant number of casualties, extensive damage, disruptions in power and water supply, delays in the arrival of rescue and relief forces, and difficulties in obtaining essential services such as food and medicine.
Hezbollah plans to exacerbate panic and confusion through continuous psychological warfare, flooding the media and social networks with threats and information that deepen internal divisions. Additionally, those seeking to escape from occupied Palestine may discover that the country’s air links with the world have been severed.
Ganor, a prominent figure in the region, pointed out that the Israeli public’s expectations of the Air Force and intelligence formations preventing the majority of guided missile strikes on the Israeli occupation are likely to be disproven. The assumption that an intensive Israeli attack on strategically important properties in Lebanon will force Hezbollah to cease fire is also expected to be proven wrong.
Hezbollah will not be alone in this battle, as the report warns of involvement from organizations across the region. Resistance factions in Syria and Iraq, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, as well as Ansar Allah in Yemen, are expected to contribute to what the report describes as a “violent and extensive upheaval.”
The upheaval in question will include disruptions in the West Bank and among Palestinians of ’48, with rioting in mixed cities, challenges in war perception for the public, and the lowering of expectations from the army and rescue forces.
The report concludes by outlining vulnerabilities and pinpointing weaknesses in the Israeli forces and society. It challenges the expectations of the public and a significant portion of the leadership, stating that the effective Israeli Air Force and intelligence formations might not prevent the majority of missile strikes from reaching occupied Palestinian territories.
Similarly, the assumption that extensive attacks on strategically important properties in Lebanon would force Hezbollah to cease fire is expected to be inaccurate.
‘Israel’ dooming?
A report made in late January by Israeli media outlets saw the Israelis admitting to the Lebanese Resistance’s capabilities, saying Hezbollah possessed the capability to launch approximately a thousand missiles at ‘Tel Aviv’ within a two-hour operational window. The report suggests that some of these missiles will be precision-guided, while others will be directed toward the skyscrapers in “Tel Aviv”.
However, the report refrained from discussing potential targets adjacent to these towers, which Hezbollah has identified as “targets in the next war,” according to their statement.
Israeli officials admitted that the Lebanese resistance, Hezbollah, has succeeded in emptying the settlements in northern occupied Palestine without the use of any force. According to the officials, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) commander of the northern region has received instructions not to escalate confrontations with the Lebanese resistance.
In a related context, a former Shin Bet official Dvir Karev told Israeli Channel 13 that “Israel” is currently in its third war with Lebanon and that Hezbollah has much more power than Hamas, both in weapons and in force. He questioned whether the IOF’s power could be sufficient against Hezbollah and expressed hope that the confrontations would remain at a low level, acknowledging the many Israeli casualties.
What was described by the Pentagon as a “logistics support base” turns out to be a secret drone base for long-range surveillance of fighters in neighboring Syria and Iraq and for conducting airstrikes.
The US military base, Tower 22, in Jordan in October 2023 (Planet Labs LBC / AP)
The Pentagon calls the US base in Jordan, Tower 22, a “logistics support base” – however, in reality, the area in which three US troops were killed last month is more than what it seems.
The Intercept reported that Tower 22 is secretly a drone base for long-range surveillance of whom the US perceives as “insurgents” in neighboring Syria and Iraq and to conduct airstrikes, according to two US military sources, while it also represents a staging facility for special operations forces and is a medevac helicopter home base.
Talking to The Intercept, an Air Force airman, whose unit was recently stationed at the base, said, “To call Tower 22 a logistics support base is complete bullshit,” as logistics was only a minor part – or a disguise – to merely deliver food and fuel to the nearby al-Tanf base.
“The main purpose of Tower 22 is to operate drones to spy on insurgents in Iraq and Syria, for targeting purposes,” the airman added, noting, “The main objective I witnessed was taking out targets.”
The base was known, as per the anonymous airman, for providing targeting intel to other Air Force assets in Jordan, such as Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, to conduct airstrikes on said targets.
One story, citing unnamed officials, says that the drone attack that killed the three troops was able to enter Tower 22 after being mistakenly identified as a friendly drone returning to the base. The Intercept later discovered that the base did not have adequate air defense.
A report by Politico two weeks ago detailed how the drone managed to evade detection by trailing behind a US drone that was returning to the base in Jordan at the same time.
‘This is not what it looks like’
Interviews conducted with defense sources and experts paint a clear image of Tower 22’s real purpose to support hostilities with what the US calls “Iran-backed groups”, but the Defense Department is still adamant that this is part of its war on ISIS.
US forces continue to exist in Syria under the basis of Operation Inherent Resolve, the name which the Pentagon selected for the campaign against ISIS that began in 2014, but experts reveal that the alleged “counter-ISIS” mission the US claims to be conducting is not the main focus.
Brian Finucane, a former State Department legal advisor and now with the think-tank International Crisis Group which works to prevent and resolve wars, said, “Whatever they’re doing there, there’s very little evidence that it’s counter-ISIS.”
It is worth noting that ISIS, as former President Donald Trump said in 2018, is the main reason why they should be there, as he said: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there,” later announcing that he would withdraw US troops from the region.
However, Finucane explains that Trump was overpowered by hawks like national security advisor at the time, John Bolton, who was trying his best to keep troops there with a new target in mind: Iran.
Even though Tower 22 may have provided logistics like food and fuel for training at al-Tanf, a Pentagon inspector general report last year discovered “no kinetic engagements,” or combat incidents, by coalition forces at al-Tanf in any way present, knowing that the lack of combat at the larger base shows a lesser role for both bases in the fight against ISIS.
“If Tanf doesn’t have a counter-ISIS function, it’s hard to see how a support facility for Tanf does,” Finucane said.
This particular operation on Tower 22 sparked a wave of outrage in the US, with some high-ranking officials calling on US President Joe Biden to nuke Iran.
Biden has blamed “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” referring to the Resistance in Iraq which announced earlier this month that they would escalate their attacks after the US conducted several raids in Iraq and assassinated a military official in central Baghdad.
The US President also reaffirmed that the US forces are now “still gathering the facts of this attack,” stressing, “We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”
Oil, power and cash
The Intercept previously reported that the group that claimed responsibility for the Tower 22 attack that killed three troops stated that it was due to US support for “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza.
With that, the White House maintains that conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen are all distinct from one another and happen to be emerging coincidentally, contradicting evidence indicating that US support for “Israel” in the Gaza genocide has contributed to regional instability and violence.
Finucane clarifies that “the counter-ISIS mission is the only legal basis there is for the U.S. to be there… There’s no legal basis to have U.S. troops in Syria to be countering Iran.”
The US argues that its presence in the region – be it in Jordan, Iraq, or Syria – is for “defense purposes” against groups like ISIS, but it remains clear that their presence is only a means to an end – oil, money, and hegemony.
These airbases have reportedly been used to violate the sovereignty of Iraq and Syria. In the Syrian Arab Republic, the US military is officially considered an occupying force, while the government in Iraq is working on ending a previously agreed mandate with the US.
The US can either deepen its involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts or recognize the futility of repeating past mistakes. To avoid new conflicts, Washington must reject escalation, cease fueling the Gaza war, and end its unwanted military presence in the region.
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The drone strike has killed and injured several people, including top officials of the Iraqi Resistance faction, Kataib Hezbollah.
An attack that targeted a car driving through a road in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, led to the martyrdom of a prominent leader of Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Baqer al-Saedi, also known as “Abu Baqer Diyala”, on Wednesday night, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Iraq reported.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that the targeted commander was “responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region.”
At 9:30 p.m. (Baghdad Time) February 7, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander… pic.twitter.com/Zhkjimx5UG
Earlier, Iraqi media reported that strikes, possibly launched from a drone, on a car in al-Mashtal area, in Baghdad, led to the martyrdom of three individuals and injured two others.
The US claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander.
In this context, Politico cited two US officials as saying that the US military carried out a drone strike in Iraq on Wednesday, adding that the attack was part of the Biden administration’s response to the killing of three US soldiers in Jordan on Jan. 28.
The US claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander.
Angered by the US aggression, Iraqis gathered at the scene of the attack furiously chanting against the US presence in the region, specifically in Iraq.
At the scene of the bombing there is anger and rage towards the American military occupation which is butchering Iraqis day and night. pic.twitter.com/tcQa6ANJXt
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that the targeted commander was “responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region.”
Several factions from the Axis of Resistance condemned al-Saedi’s assassination, affirming that the US presence in Iraq and the region is a major cause of undermining security and stability.
The Navy destroyer Carney struck a radar site in Yemen on Saturday, officials said. The warship is shown here intercepting Yemeni drones and missiles in the Red Sea in October. (Photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/Navy)
The attacks come after the US bombing of Syria and Iraq, indicating the White House is escalating its war against the Axis of Resistance in defense of Israel’s genocide on Gaza
US and UK warships and fighter jets bombed Yemen on 4 February, in a wave of missile strikes US officials claim hit 36 targets.
The US said in a CENTCOM statement that it hit “36 targets at 13 locations,” striking “underground storage facilities, command and control, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters.”
According to the statement, the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand took part in the attacks.
The strikes were in response to Yemeni efforts to target Israeli-linked commercial ships passing through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea. The Yemeni attacks are in response to Israel’s genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza.
Rather than press its ally Israel to stop its military campaign, which has killed over 27,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, the US has joined forces with the UK to bomb Yemen.
"Even if you burn down Sanaa, America… we will remain with Gaza."
Amid violent, renewed airstrikes by the US and UK, a man in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, says the Yemenis will continue to support Gaza no matter what. pic.twitter.com/Uag8M0uBaq
Saturday’s strikes were launched by US F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, British Typhoon FGR4 fighter aircraft, and the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and the USS Carney firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, according to US officials and the UK Defense Ministry.
The Yemen Armed Forces issued a statement detailing where the attacks took place, reporting 13 raids on Sanaa, 9 on Hodeidah, 11 on Taiz, 7 on Al-Bayda, 7 on Hajjah, and one on Saada.
“These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious, and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not go unanswered and punished,” read the statement.
The strikes come one day after the US sent B-1 bombers to target 85 locations affiliated with the Islamic Resistance of Iraq in eastern Syria and western Iraq, killing at least 16. This was in response to an operation by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq that targeted US military outpost Tower 22 in Jordan last week, killing three US soldiers.
US officials reportedly told Al-Jazeera that the strikes on Yemen are “considered a next round of retaliation for the killing of the [US] soldiers in Jordan.”
Like Ansarallah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq coalition, formed after 7 October, has also targeted Israel, as well as US bases in Syria and Iraq. The groups say their attacks are in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which the US has supported militarily and diplomatically.
Ansarallah leaders in Yemen say they have no intention of scaling back their campaign despite pressure from the US and UK bombing.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, an Ansarallah official, said, “military operations against Israel will continue until the crimes of genocide in Gaza are stopped and the siege on its residents is lifted, no matter the sacrifices it costs us.” He wrote on social media that the “American-British aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered, and we will meet escalation with escalation.”
The Biden White House junta bombed Syria and Iraq to sustain his anti-Christian and anti-Jewish Zionist project protecting the US proxies Israel and the plethora of US-founded and sponsored terrorist groups in the two countries, namely ISIS and al Qaeda.
Throughout the night, the US war machines added a new series to its endless war crimes by bombing dozens of sites in Syria and Iraq murdering at least 18 persons, the US rulers claimed that their latest bombing was a retaliation to the bombing of its base in Jordan which resulted in the killing at least 3 US Army personnel and injuring 3 dozens of others.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement carried by the Syrian News Agency SANA:
“Today at dawn, the American occupation forces launched a blatant air aggression against several sites and towns in the eastern region of Syria and near the Syrian-Iraqi borders, which led to the martyrdom of a number of civilians and soldiers, the wounding of others, and the infliction of significant damage to public and private property.”
The statement accused the Biden’s junta of aiding ISIS (ISIL – Daesh) in the bombing:
“The area targeted by the American attacks in eastern Syria is the same area where the Syrian Arab Army is fighting the remnants of the terrorist organization ISIS, and this confirms that the United States and its military forces are involved and allied with this organization, and are working to revive it as a field arm for it, whether in Syria or Iraq, by all dirty means, and that this aggression has no justification other than an attempt to weaken the ability of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in the field of fighting terrorism.”
Syria’s Cultural Ministry condemned Biden regime forces bombing the historical Al Rahba Fortress, built in the 9th century. Additionally, the Biden forces bombed the electrical grid in Deir Ezzor.
Local sources in Syria and Iraq said that the US aggression targeted 85 posts used by the allied forces combating ISIS in the countryside of Al Mayadeen in eastern Syria Deir Ezzor province and in the Al Qaim area in western Iraq.
Iraqi PMU said in a statement that the US aggression murdered 16 Iraqis and injured 25 others in the Anbar province. Iraq declared a 3 days mourning for the martyrs.
Russia, on its part, condemned the US aggression against Syria and called for an urgent meeting of the useless NATO-controlled United Nations Security Council, maybe to score additional points forcing the USA and its allies to use their veto powers against resolutions targeting them similar to how Russia’s ‘western partners’ are trying to do the same against Russia for its special military operation in Ukraine.
The first time US war criminals bombed Syrian Arab Army soldiers to aid al Qaeda was on 18 September 2016, when Obama ‘accidentally’ slaughtered 83 Syrian soldiers in al Tharda, soldiers who were encircling ISIS terrorists, after which the terrorists shot down a Syrian jet, martyring three more soldiers.
During the US bombing, the Iraqi Resistance carried out five bombings against the illegal US Army bases in Al Tanf in southeast Syria, Conoco Gas Field in eastern Deir Ezzor province in northern Syria, Kharab Al Jir in the Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, Ain Al Asad air base in western Iraq, and the Harir air base in Irbil in the northern Kurdistan province of Iraq.
Biden, claiming responsibility for this aggression thinking this would increase his rating for the upcoming election, said “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” while almost crying he does not seek a regional war and his officials repeatedly explained they do not seek to widen the war in Gaza! So starting a war by not starting a war and not escalating a war by escalating a war? Obviously, dementia and insanity have taken over this White House regime.
The Zionists’ desperate attempts to expand their war on Gaza to engulf the whole region comes after the humiliating defeat of Israel, first in the 6 hours war on the 7th of October last year, and the failure to achieve any of the set goals after 120 days of the systematic genocide the US and NATO-sponsored Israel is carrying out against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Instead of accepting the defeat of their anti-Christ project, the Zionists are now bombing the entire region: Gaza, southern Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, while claiming they are in self-defense, the farce claim that was overruled by the International Court of Justice when it denied the occupation forces of the right of self-defense and granted the same to people under occupation in all methods needful.
Should we add that the Biden junta did not seek its rubber-stamping Congress’s approval for this war?
In 2007, Sen. Biden put the President on notice that he would impeach him for going to war with Iran without Congressional approval.
The Observers explained that the US aggression was carried out after alerting the Iranians of the targets in advance and that Biden’s junta went out of its way to reassure Iran that is not seeking a regional war with the Axis of Resistance.
Syria’s accusation of the United States sponsoring ISIS and other terrorist groups comes after years of gathering material evidence, confessions of the arrested terrorists, the US and its NATO proxies’ political pressure against the country, and the economic siege the US-led camp of Western colonial powers imposes on the Syrian people, in addition to the US, Israel, and Turkish interventions whenever these terrorist groups are on the verge of defeat at the hands of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies similar to this latest bombing campaign.
On its part, the Iraqi resistance vowed to continue to bomb the illegal US Army bases in Syria and Iraq until the complete withdrawal of the US Army from both countries after it limited its goals to the end of the Israel ‘Holocausting’ of the Palestinians in Gaza.
By its chaotic actions, Biden’s junta has effectively widened the war in Gaza it is seeking to contain, blocked international maritime trade through the Red Sea for Israeli, US, and British ships by bombing Yemen to stop the blockade Yemen imposed on Israeli ships until Israel stops its genocide of Gaza.
Biden junta bankrupted its coffers and the coffers of its Western European satraps trying to do the same to Russia through the NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine while acting tough against China in Taiwan.
It’s not the incompetent Western ruling class to be blamed for all the miseries and injustices around the globe including in the Western countries, it’s the indifference and ignorance of the Western citizens not holding their rulers accountable for the war crimes they committed in their names with their tax monies against innocent people and now Karma is doing its work where evil started in the crumbling collective West.
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Lowkey is a British-Iraqi hip-hop artist, academic and political campaigner. As a musician, he has collaborated with the Arctic Monkeys, Wretch 32, Immortal Technique and Akala. He is a patron of Stop The War Coalition, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Racial Justice Network and The Peace and Justice Project, founded by Jeremy Corbyn. He has spoken and performed on platforms from the Oxford Union to the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury. His latest album, Soundtrack To The Struggle 2, featured Noam Chomsky and Frankie Boyle and has been streamed millions of times.
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The MintPress podcast, “The Watchdog,” hosted by British-Iraqi hip hop artist Lowkey, closely examines organizations about which it is in the public interest to know – including intelligence, lobby and special interest groups influencing policies that infringe on free speech and target dissent. “The Watchdog” goes against the grain by casting a light on stories largely ignored by the mainstream, corporate media.
For nearly a decade, Professor David Miller has been in the crosshairs of the pro-Israel lobby. But in recent years, their campaign against him has intensified. Miller was fired by Bristol University in the U.K. following a ferocious campaign by the Israel lobby, which even led to direct government intervention in the case. He has been holding the university to account in an employment tribunal and expects the results very soon. In this episode of “The Watchdog,” host Lowkey catches up with Miller to hear the latest on his case.
For nearly a decade, Professor David Miller has been in the crosshairs of the pro-Israel lobby. But in recent years, their campaign against him has intensified. Miller was fired by Bristol University in the U.K. following a ferocious campaign by the Israel lobby, which even led to direct government intervention in the case. He has been holding the university to account in an employment tribunal and expects the results very soon. In this episode of “The Watchdog,” host Lowkey catches up with Miller to hear the latest on his case.
Professor Miller has a long background in studying P.R. and propaganda, originally focussing on media spin on Northern Ireland, the HIV/AIDS crisis and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It was the latter that first brought him to study Islamophobia and how it functions in society.
Today, Miller and Lowkey described how so much of the hostile atmosphere towards Muslims is actually driven by the state and committed Zionist organizations that try to influence it. For example, 12 of the top 13 funders of the Islamophobic Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank that influences U.K. public policy, were groups founded by Zionists. And three-quarters of the organizations that fund these Islamophobic groups also bankroll the building of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Miller was sacked from his position as Professor of Sociology after a pressure campaign involving Zionist student groups and even members of parliament, who accused him of “inciting hatred against Jewish students.”
In 2019, a student filed a complaint against him, claiming he was racist toward Jewish people. After a long, drawn-out process, the university investigated and concluded, according to Miller, that:
There wasn’t a single sentence, word or comma which I had ever said that was anti-Semitic. So I was given a complete clean bill of health. And the university wrote to me to say: ‘There is nothing to see here; you didn’t do anything wrong. This complaint was manifestly ridiculous.’”
But that was only the start of the affair. After Miller was acquitted, there began a massive media campaign against him, leading to more than 100 members of the House of Commons and House of Lords signing a letter demanding he be sacked.
This massive state intervention into the freedom and independence of academia is a free speech issue that few of those who make it their business to supposedly champion the free flow of ideas have touched.
The Kafkaesque witch hunt against Miller bears a strong resemblance to how Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was hounded out of politics. Ironically, Miller’s book, “Bad News for Labour: Anti-Semitism, the Party and Public Belief,” details how bogus charges of anti-Semitism were weaponized against Corbyn in order to defame and destroy him.
Lowkey is a British-Iraqi hip-hop artist, academic and political campaigner. As a musician, he has collaborated with the Arctic Monkeys, Wretch 32, Immortal Technique and Akala. He is a patron of Stop The War Coalition, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Racial Justice Network and The Peace and Justice Project, founded by Jeremy Corbyn. He has spoken and performed on platforms from the Oxford Union to the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury. His latest album, Soundtrack To The Struggle 2, featured Noam Chomsky and Frankie Boyle and has been streamed millions of times.
While China-led multipolarity has accelerated the decline of the American era, the war in Gaza may end it altogether.
What is unfolding today in West Asia — the Gaza war and its regional expansion — cannot be viewed separately from the international transformations that have grown in momentum over the past few years. Today, the transition to multipolarity is the underlying factor shaping the decisions and policies of most countries, particularly those of the great powers.
The timing of Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza coincides with heightened US attention on its great power competition for Washington, this conflict has much wider geopolitical significance beyond West Asia. In this context, the US has assumed, and will continue to play, a pivotal role in Gaza and its environs, unlike its powerful peers in China and Russia.
According to statistics published by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the US initiated 201 of the 248 armed conflicts that took place since the end of World War II, often engaging in these wars via US-led alliances and/or proxies.
Number of Coalition Countries
Year
War
38 countries including 9 in West Asia
1990
Gulf War
42 countries including 2 in West Asia
2001
Afghanistan War
48 countries
2003
Iraq War
13 countries including 4 in West Asia
2014
Syria War
9 countries majority in West Asia
2015
US-backed Yemen War
The most prominent wars led or supported by the United States in West Asia since 1990
For decades, Washington has led these conflicts by very ably forming, then leading, and directing broad alliances to achieve its political and military objectives. But that ability notably shifted in December 2023, signaling a sharp decline in this capability.
In response to Yemen’s Ansarallah-aligned armed forces’ Red Sea blockade of Israeli-linked vessels, the US Department of Defense announced the formation of “Operation Guardian of Prosperity … to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation” in those waters, initially consisting of a coalition of ten countries, most of them insignificant partners.
Protecting Israel or maintaining maritime dominance?
The coalition proved shaky from the get-go, with only the US and Britain actively involved in military strikes on Yemen. The reluctance of key European countries France, Spain, and Italy to join the naval alliance indicated a growing skepticism among the US’s traditional partners — both western and West Asian — about Washington’s commitment and capability to defend its allies in any impactful way.
Interestingly, more than eight further countries reportedly joined the coalition, but demanded anonymity, given the potential political fallout from associating with Washington and Tel Aviv.
Crucially, the Pentagon’s stated purpose of securing navigation in the Red Sea does not align with the actual threat presented, revealing ulterior motives behind US actions. The Yemenis have repeatedly confirmed that they only intend to inhibit the passage of Israeli-owned or destined vessels — and that all other ships are free to pass.
In short, the US/UK-led coalition is acting as a naval arm for Israeli military forces, seeking specifically to ensure unimpeded access for ships heading to Israeli ports via the Bab al-Mandab Strait. That’s not a position many other states will get behind if they want to maintain freedom of transport for their own shipping vessels.
Ultimately, the American show of force in these waterways seeks to consolidate US naval dominance, which war-torn Yemen, West Asia’s poorest country, has contested.
The US “will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation through the Middle East’s (West Asia) waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandab, nor tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another — or the region — through military buildups, incursions, or threats.”
According to media reports following massive US airstrikes against Iraqi targets on 23 January, Iraqi resistance factions will now also follow Yemen’s suit by implementing a blockade of Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea.
Current events are spiraling out of Washington’s control as onlookers increasingly question the utility and competence of US naval leadership in the world’s important waterways. Equally, there is recognition that other formidable forces and states have emerged, challenging US control over key global straits. In the words of British politician and writer Walter Raleigh, “Who rules the seas rules the world.” Under Sanaa’s watch, the US no longer can claim rule over the Red Sea or even its adjacent waterways.
Great power competition amid the Gaza war
The current scenario in West Asia, particularly post-Al-Aqsa Flood and the Gaza war that followed, coincides with a shift in Washington’s focus toward competition with China and its proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. As outlined in the US intelligence community’s annual threat assessment last year, this transition has already affected strategic goals, leading to a sharp decline in western support, especially from the US, for Ukraine. The Biden administration faced challenges in securing Congressional approval for a new aid package for Kiev, which directly competed for dollars against Tel Aviv’s military campaign in Gaza.
Money Spent (million dollars)
Year 2023
6975
First Quarter
2625
Second Quarter
2150
Third Quarter
1200*
Fourth Quarter
*Aid paid to Ukraine in 2023 under presidential withdrawal powers.
Despite assurances from western leaders during visits to Ukraine in October, their statements came without tangible material support, leaving President Volodymyr Zelensky in the proverbial dust. Quite unexpectedly, China has emerged as a potential peacemaker in this European conflict, with Kiev openly requesting Beijing’s involvement in mediation talks, and the US itself open to Chinese mediation to mitigate the escalation in West Asia.
The Chinese are well aware that there are no simple, face-saving exits for the US from the Gaza war it has championed and that the conflict’s metamorphosis into a regional one mires the US deeper into West Asia — and away from the Asia-Pacific.
Although China seeks to increase its presence in West Asia, it is very careful not to bog itself down in the region’s many issues. But Washington’s request that Beijing use its influence to sway Iran from conflict escalation makes clear that the US is no longer “the biggest power” in the region.
Why Israel opposes multipolarity
Following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, US financial and military support for Israel has reached a critical stage, presenting two options for Washington. The first involves imposing some control on Israeli actions, given that the war’s timing has been unfavorable to US strategic interests, particularly in a critical election year. The second option, favored by the Washington elite, is to continue its unwavering support to Tel Aviv, even at the risk of damage to its global image.
Sustained global outrage over the Gaza war, coupled with the landmark genocide case filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), shows that Washington’s ability to cover for Israel is diminishing rapidly. Again, this reflects the global shift in the balance of power toward multipolarity, which is marked by the widespread decline of American influence.
But the US support for the Gaza genocide has had dramatic domestic repercussions, too. Polls show a major shift in the attitudes of young Americans, especially university youth, who will make up the ranks of America’s future leaders.
A Harvard-Harris poll published on 17 January reveals that 46 percent of respondents aged 18-24 believe that Hamas’ actions on 7 October can be justified because of the injustice to which the Palestinians are subjected. The same poll shows that 43 percent of the same group support Hamas in this war, and that 57 percent believe that Israel is carrying out massacres in Gaza. The most staggering poll result of all, though, has to be the one in December (conducted by the same pollsters) in which 51 percent of young Americans believe a final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is for Israel to end and be given to Hamas and the Palestinians.
While Israel remains a direct US interest in West Asia, Washington’s commitment to Tel Aviv’s security has already become a growing burden and increasingly difficult to justify. As the region’s Axis of Resistance expands its battle with Israel on new, multiple frontlines, the US will need to reallocate ever-expanding resources and focus on matching its international rivals in further-flung geographies.
Ukraine was a test run compared to this Gaza war and the immense, direct toll it is taking on US alliances, domestic politics, and the American image globally. For Israel, this presents an existential crisis beyond measure, as Washington is forced to compete with other great powers, none of whom are ideologically driven to support Zionism as part of their foreign policies.
Israel’s notorious intelligence agency has spent decades infiltrating and sabotaging Arab states. But it has hit a wall in Iraq, a country that hosts the Axis of Resistance and is prepared to fight back hard.
Photo Credit: The Cradle
Just before midnight on 15 January, Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, was rocked by a targeted missile attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Eleven Fateh 110 ballistic missiles homed in on the private residence of the affluent and connected Kurdish tycoon Peshraw Dizayee, aged 61, who was killed along with members of his family and a fellow business associate.
The IRGC said in a statement that it hit “one of the main headquarters of the Israeli Mossad in the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” noting that this action was in response to the occupation state’s assassination of leaders within the IRGC and its Axis of Resistance.
“We assure our nation that the Guards’ offensive operations will continue until avenging the last drops of martyrs’ blood,” the IRGC said.
This military strike has roots in the recent assassinations of several IRGC members in Syria, including a high-ranking commander, to which Tehran promised to retaliate. The IRGC also struck ISIS positions in Syria’s restive Idlib province.
Covert oil connections
Dizayee, a man of influence with deep connections to Iraqi-Kurdistan’s ruling Barzani clan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), had an estimated wealth of $2.5 billion from founding the Falcon Group, which engaged in diverse sectors including security, oil, gas, construction, and agriculture.
His pivotal role in facilitating oil exports from Kurdistan to Israel drew attention to his intricate, but illegal ties with Tel Aviv, in addition to the Kurdish security and intelligence apparatus.
Despite Iraqi laws explicitly forbidding any dealings with Israel, reports and experts suggest that a significant portion of Israel’s oil imports — approximately 70 percent, by some accounts — originates from Iraq’s Kurdistan region, at prices 50 percent lower than market values. Iraq exports about 3.6 million barrels of oil per day, including 390,000 barrels from oil fields in the Kurdistan region, through the 970-km northern pipeline that stretches from Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, before making its way to Israel.
In 2014, with ISIS taking control of Mosul and large swathes across Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) began directly exporting crude oil to Turkiye and selling it on the international markets without going through Baghdad’s State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) company responsible for all Iraqi oil exports.
Iraqi lawmaker Uday Awad tells The Cradle that these direct oil sales were both illegal and secretive:
“For years, the Kurdistan region tried to hide oil sales to Tel Aviv, but all shipments to Israeli ports are documented by SOMO which tracked every barrel sold to Israel.”
On 17 February, 2022, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled that the Kurdistan government’s approval of the oil and gas law in the region was unconstitutional, basing its decision on the KRG’s admission in 2015 — before the US Court of Appeals in a lawsuit filed by Iraq — of unloading oil shipments in Israeli ports.
Israeli influence and intrigue in Iraq
Dizayee’s expansive Falcon Group conglomerate has become a focal point in the Iraq-Israel nexus. Iranian media alleges a web of connections, including EIA, a company purportedly affiliated with the US Census Bureau, nestled within the US Department of Commerce.
Of particular concern is Falcon Security Company, a subsidiary believed to employ around 600 individuals, primarily former military personnel from the US Army. Speculation swirls that this security arm maintains direct ties with the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), serving as a conduit for valuable information gathering on Iraq’s internal affairs.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to The Cradle, Iranian sources claim that Dizayee was a Mossad collaborator in Erbil, orchestrating covert operations and providing logistical support through his vast business empire. Private Iraqi sources corroborate this narrative, and say an intricate Israeli influence network has entrenched itself in Kurdistan, with the Mossad allegedly training groups antagonistic to Iran and the Axis of Resistance.
Importantly, the focus of these groups reportedly encompasses security operations, including the targeted assassination of scientists engaged in Iran’s nuclear program.
Over the past decades, the Israeli Mossad has persistently worked to establish spy cells across Arab states — whether hostile or friendly — but has continually encountered resistance in Iraq. Notable instances include the case of Ezra Naji Zalka, an Iraqi Jew, whose spy network faced exposure by Iraqi intelligence, leading to their execution in 1969.
The Mossad, however, received a boost in Iraq facilitated by the illegal 2003 US invasion of the country. The American occupation opened a new chapter for Israel’s espionage and sabotage activities, in which it targeted Iraq’s northern regions to create a strategic vantage point against neighboring countries, particularly Iran.
Mossad objectives extend beyond mere intelligence gathering: Its focus encompasses collecting information on military sites, security installations, and potential threats posed by countries resistant to Tel Aviv’s interests.
Economic espionage became a key facet, with the Mossad seeking data on investment projects, tourism, agriculture, stock exchanges, and influential businessmen in targeted states.
The scope broadened further with the Mossad’s notoriously engagement in subversive activities, influencing societal values and norms. Accusations range from drug proliferation to the sponsorship of international prostitution networks and involvement in the slave trade.
Resistance to Zionism and Israeli espionage
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the Israeli intel agency strives not only to identify the whereabouts of resistance leaders but also to manipulate public sentiment in its pursuit of broader geopolitical objectives.
Iraqi intelligence services have historically thwarted many of the Israeli penetration activities, particularly in the formation of spy cells in the center and south of the country.
One such instance was the cell established by Ezra Naji Zalka, an Iraqi Jew who was able to recruit many spies to work for Israel. According to Iraqi government data, there were, at one time, 35 spies in the Zalkha network, including 13 Jews who were identified and captured by Iraqi intelligence.
Zalkha’s main task at the beginning of his tenure with the Mossad was to collect information about poor Jews in popular neighborhoods, their living conditions, numbers, education, and attitudes on the issue of immigration. His cell later expanded its work to include military and security dimensions and began collecting information on Iraqi institutions.
According to memoirs published last year by Israeli-British historian and Iraqi Jew Avi Shlaim, between 1950 and 1951, the Mossad was linked to five bomb attacks on Jewish targets in an operation known as Ali Baba. The purpose was to instill fear amongst and hostility toward Iraqi Jews from the wider public. This would lead to over 120,000 Jews — at the time, 95 percent of the Jewish population in Iraq — being airlifted to Israel in a mission known as Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.
Mossad’s subversive tactics are thus a security threat to all West Asian states, with the recent flurry of normalization agreements effectively installing a Trojan horse for Zionism.
The offer on the table is not for peace; it is a do-or-die threat: those states resistant to normalization face increased acts of terrorism, sabotage, or assassination — and, as a punishing last resort for those unwilling to fall in line, conventional air strikes by the US-backed Israeli military, or the US itself.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
The head of the Rights Movement party and member of the Iraqi Parliament Hussein Mouanes during a televised interview for Al Mayadeen channel on Friday, January 26, 2024 (Screengrab from Al Mayadeen broadcast)
The head of the Iraqi Rights Movement Hussein Mouanes says there will be no sovereignty in Iraq without the expulsion of US forces.
Hussein Mouanes, the head of the Rights Movement party and member of the Iraqi Parliament, emphasized the necessity of the United States withdrawing its forces from Iraq so that the country could be liberated from Washington’s hegemony.
Mouanes has been at the forefront of voices demanding that all foreign armies withdraw from Iraq, on top of which are the US personnel.
The Iraqi legislator has been recently placed under US Treasury sanctions.
In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, Mouanes said the sanctions are a source of “pride and honor.” He also pointed out that the US resorting to imposing sanctions reflects “American arrogance and disregard for Iraq and a violation of its sovereignty.”
"قرار الخزانة الأميركية يمسّ السيادة بحيث تطبق أوامر أميركية على أرض العراق"
Mouanes explained that the United States “employs these tactics with the aim of embarrassing the Iraqi government and showcasing its dominance in Iraq” and that Washington is attempting to complicate the Iraqi scene through this policy.
He further asserted that Washington’s inclination toward imposing sanctions holds “no value in his opinion.” Nevertheless, he highlighted that this is a decision that “touches upon the highest legislative authority (given his role as a parliamentary deputy) and encroaches upon the nation’s sovereignty, ultimately resulting in the enforcement of American directives within Iraq.”
Addressing the US’ influence on Iraq’s economy, the MP said the United States today has “dominance, control and mandate” over the country. He emphasized his call for the withdrawal of US forces and the liberation of Iraq from economic dominance, stressing that there is “no turning back from this” stance.
The parliamentary member further explained that when US forces occupied Iraq, they established two funds, “Iraq 1” and “Iraq 2”, where Iraq’s oil revenues were deposited. One of the funds was “spent as being related to Kuwait’s debt,” while the United States invested used funds from the second deposit to exert economic control over the country, he added.
Regarding the strategies to counter Washington’s mandate, he disclosed that they have demanded and taken “various measures to break free from the dominance of the US dollar, diversify currencies, and strengthen the Iraqi dinar,” emphasizing that all the necessary tools are available to implement this decision. He also reiterated that Iraq now possesses regular sources of financial income across all regional countries.
On US forces leaving the country, Mouanes pointed out that there may not necessarily be a consensus on the withdrawal of US forces, but a majority is required. This majority was achieved through a resolution passed by the Iraqi Parliament on January 5, 2020, which directed the government to demand their withdrawal.
“There will be no sovereignty in the country as long as there is power with authority higher than that of the government.” He also confirmed that through the Iraqi-American bilateral committee and elsewhere, the US forces must be withdrawn from Iraqi territory one way or another.
"لا سيادة في البلد في ظل وجود سلطات لها قرارات ومواقف فوق سلطة الحكومة".
“Nothing is difficult if there is a genuine will, and we have faith in the current government’s ability to manage this issue, as no rational person would accept this dominance in this manner.”
Mouanes pointed out that the United States nurtured and developed terrorist threats and groups such as ISIS, while they were investors in this terrorism. They used the group as a pretext to bring their forces into Iraq so they could safeguard their interests and the security of “Israel”, he continued.
"الوجود الأميركي الآن هو وجود تهديدي وليس حافظاً أو مدافعاً عن البلد"
Over the past two months, the United States carried out several strikes against Iraqi factions of the Popular Mobilization Forces PMF – a governmental security apparatus – including one that targeted a site belonging to the Defense Ministry. Several Iraqi citizens were killed in the attacks.
The aggressions came after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a phase of operations against Israeli targets and US forces in Iraq and Syria, in response to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza and Washington’s direct involvement in it.
Commenting on the US attacks, the legislator said the “bombing of a government institution and the killing of government officials in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an act of recklessness, disdain, and aggression.”
Regarding the US Embassy in Iraq, he reiterated that it has turned into a military barracks, describing it as the largest embassy and the largest diplomatic mission in the world. Mouanes pointed out that the embassy, while housing the diplomatic mission, functions as a military barracks and hosts spying and espionage devices.
On the proposal for a ceasefire between the US military and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, he said, “The term trice sounds meaningless to me, as there is an occupation and a people who reject it.”
In terms of the impact of the US forces’ departure on the security aspect, he affirmed that the Iraqi army and the armed forces, as well as the PMF, are in their best condition today.
They have a budget allocated to them, and there is confidence in their capabilities, he added. “There is no justification for the existence of a parallel army to the Iraqi army under any pretext.” Elsewhere in the interview, Mouanes said the Israeli Mossad spy agency has a presence in Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan region, under the cover of civil society organizations, economic and security companies, and embassies.
According to the MP, the next step after “expelling the US” is to call for the formation of an alliance of all countries opposing “Israel” to counteract Mossad infiltration.
In conclusion, he stated that “Iraq is in danger, and [we] are committed to reclaiming sovereignty, regardless of who agrees or disagrees.”
“We are moving toward reclaiming the sovereignty of the country, preserving it, and expelling this vile American presence.”
Two key strongholds of the “Jaysh Al-Adl” terrorist group in Pakistan have been obliterated through precision missile and drone strikes.
Significant bases belonging to the Jaysh Al-Adl terrorist group on Pakistani soil were destroyed on Tuesday.
According to reports obtained by the Tasnim news agency, these bases were specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks.
The focal point of this operation was the region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain) in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, recognized as one of the largest hubs for the Jaysh al-Dhulm militants.
Additional information will be released in forthcoming updates.
In mid-December, the notorious Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm) terrorist group stormed a police station in Sistan and Balouchestan province’s city of Rask, southeast of Iran, which resulted in the martyrdom of 11 Iranian Police forces.
Following the incident, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani discussed ways to strengthen security cooperation between the two neighbors.
Jilani also condemned the terrorist attack, describing terrorism as a common threat to Iran, Pakistan and the wider region.
IRGC discloses details about anti-terror missile strikes
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has disclosed more information about its latest missile strikes targeting an Israeli espionage center in Iraq and terrorist positions in Syria.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC said all the intended targets were precisely hit and destroyed using 24 ballistic missiles.
The elite force said that four Kheibar ballistic missiles were launched from Khuzestan Province in southwest Iran towards ISIL terrorist positions in the Idlib region of Syria.
ISIL claimed responsibility for two bomb blasts that killed nearly 100 people at a memorial for Iran’s top anti-terror commander General Qassem Suleimani in southeastern Iran early this month.
Four more missiles were launched from western Iran, along with seven others from the northwest of the country, targeting a Mossad center in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Nine missiles of various types also struck the positions of other terrorist groups in different areas of the occupied territories in Syria.
The IRGC reassured the Iranian nation that the retaliatory operations by will continue until “the last drop of blood of our beloved nation’s martyrs is avenged.”
In an earlier statement, the IRGC had said that the missile strike against the Mossad center in the Iraqi Kurdistan region was in retaliation for the recent assassinations of IRGC and other regional resistance commanders by the Israeli regime.
IRGC
Source: Tasnim News Agency
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Is it a coincidence that the world’s foremost terror organization is being revived just as the US struggles under a multi-front assault on its hegemony in West Asia? More curiously, both ISIS and Washington’s targets are exactly the same.
Iraqi security sources are warning of an ISIS revival in the country, which coincides all too neatly with the spike in Iraqi resistance operations against US bases in Iraq and Syria, and with widening regional instability caused by Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
More than six years after declaring victory over the terrorist organization, Iraqi intelligence reports now indicate that thousands of ISIS fighters are emerging unscathed, under the protection of US forces in two regions of western Iraq.
The missing piece of the puzzle
According to intelligence reports reviewed by The Cradle, at its height, ISIS consisted of more than 35,000 fighters in Iraq – 25,000 of these were killed, while more than 10,000 simply “disappeared.”
As an officer of one Iraqi intelligence agency recounts to The Cradle:
“Hundreds of ISIS fighters fled to Turkey and Syria at the end of 2017. After the appointment of Abdullah Qardash as the leader of ISIS in 2019, following the death of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the new Caliph began to restructure the organization, and ordered his followers to return to Iraq. The organization exploited the long border with Syria, the security disturbances, and the diversity of forces on both sides of the border to infiltrate the Iraqi territory again.”
Imprisoned ISIS officials admit that infiltrating that border is not an easy task, because of the strict control imposed by the Iraqi Border Guards and the use of modern technologies, such as thermal cameras.
It therefore became necessary for the terror group to identify intermediaries capable of breaking through or bypassing these fortifications to transport its fighters across borders.
An Iraqi security source, insisting on anonymity, tells The Cradle that the US plays a vital role in enabling these border violations:
“[There are] several incidents that confirm the American assistance in securing the crossing route for ISIS members – mainly, by shelling Iraqi units on the border, especially the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), to create gaps that allow ISIS fighters to cross the border.”
The Iraqi security source adds that there are confirmed reports of US Chinook helicopters transporting fighters from eastern Syria to the Anbar desert in western Iraq and Jebel Hamreen, in the country’s east.
Munir Adib, a researcher specializing in Islamist movements, extremist organizations, and international terrorism, confirms the possibility of the return of ISIS after the organization’s “dozens of attacks in Syria and Iraq in the past few weeks,” which led to the death of tens of civilians and soldiers.
According to Adib, “the international community’s preoccupation with the Gaza and Russia-Ukraine wars gave ISIS an opportunity to reorganize its ranks, while continuing to receive internal and external logistical support.”
Manufacturing and harboring terrorism
Houran Valley is the largest of its kind in Iraq, extending 369 kilometers from the Iraqi-Saudi border to the Euphrates River near the city of Haditha in Anbar Governorate. Its topography is marked by soaring cliffs ranging in height between 150 to 200 meters, and includes the hills surrounding the valley and the sub-valleys that extend into its surroundings.
The valley was and still is one of the most dangerous security environments in the state. Terrorist groups use it as a safe haven because of its desert terrain, and distance from congested urban areas. The valley and its environs have witnessed numerous security incidents, most notably in December 2013, when ISIS killed the commander of the Iraqi army’s Seventh Division, his assistant, the director of intelligence in Anbar Governorate, eight officers, and thirteen soldiers.
Iraqi MP Hassan Salem has called for launching a military operation to clear Houran Valley of terrorist fighters. He confirmed to The Cradle that “there are thousands of ISIS members in the valley receiving training in private camps, under American protection,” noting that US forces have “transferred to this area hundreds of ISIS members of different nationalities.”
US foreign policy, of course, is rife with historical evidence of the creation of proxy armed militias in West Asia and Latin America, often utilizing these organizations to overthrow governments in target countries. We know Washington has no aversion to allying with Islamist extremists largely because of its direct involvement with arming and financing the Afghan Mujahideen, from which the Taliban and Al Qaeda emerged.
An early US-ISIS connection exists quite clearly: the terrorist group’s founding and second rank leaders were among the inmates of Camp Bucca prison in southern Iraq, an internment facility run by the US military. The roster of high-value terrorists captured, then set free by the Americans is quite extraordinary: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, his successor Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, Haji Bakr, Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, among others.
Camp Bucca, known for abuses against its detainees, brought together extremist elements, slow-boiled this combustive formula for six years (2003-2009), then let the now well-networked extremists go free.
The religious officials of ISIS even say they used their time at the prison to obtain vows from prisoners to join the terrorist group after their release.
US intelligence also protected the terrorist organization indirectly, by allowing ISIS convoys to move between the cities that were under its control. Other forms of protection, according to Iraqi security experts, include refusing to implement death sentences issued by Iraqi courts against detained ISIS members, and establishing safe havens for the organization’s members in western and eastern Iraq.
ISIS: US foot soldiers in the regional war
In a speech on 5 January, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah warned that the US was supporting an ISIS revival in the region.
The Cradle obtained security information monitoring the new activity of extremists in Lebanon, communications between these elements and their counterparts in Iraq and Syria, and suspicious money transfer activities among them.
Lebanese Army Intelligence also recently arrested a group of Lebanese and Syrians who were preparing to carry out security operations.
Importantly, this surge in terror activities comes at a time when the Lebanese resistance is engaged in a security and military battle with Israel, which may expand at any moment into open war. It is also notable that renewed ISIS activity is concentrated in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran; that is, in the countries that support the Palestinian resistance politically, militarily, and logistically.
On 4 January, ISIS officially claimed responsibility for two bombings in the Iranian city of Kerman that targeted memorial processions on the anniversary of the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani by US forces. The dual explosions killed around 90 people and injured dozens, in an unprecedented attack targeting the biggest US-Israeli adversary in West Asia – just one day after Tel Aviv killed top Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.
Before that, on 5 October 2023, ISIS drone-attacked an officers graduation ceremony at the Military College in the Syrian city of Homs, killing about 100 people. These attacks, and others in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Africa, indicate that fresh blood, money, and weapons are being pumped into the ISIS organization’s arteries again.
A high-ranking PMU officer, who asked to remain unnamed, tells The Cradle that US forces are preventing Iraqi forces from approaching Houran Valley by attacking any security forces approaching the area. “This happened when American aircraft targeted units of the PMU that were attacking ISIS in the region,” he reveals, citing intelligence reports confirming the presence of dozens of ISIS members and other extremist organizations in the valley, where they receive training and equipment from US forces.
Security sources in the Anbar Operations Command confirm this information:
“Noticeable activity by the organization had been recorded a few weeks ago in the west of the country. Near the Rutba desert, ISIS fighters were spotted digging underground hideouts. Information indicates that the organization is in the process of carrying out terrorist operations in many locations,” they tell The Cradle.
Concurrently, ISIS is expanding its operations in the east of Iraq, within the geographical triangle that includes eastern Salah al-Din Governorate, north-eastern Diyala, and southern Kirkuk, particularly in the geographically challenging Makhoul, Hamrin, Ghurra, Wadi al-Shay, and Zaghitoun areas.
It should be noted that US forces are deployed in Iraq under the umbrella of the International Coalition to Combat ISIS. Last week, four years after the Iraqi parliament first voted to expel foreign forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani weighed in on the “destabilizing” impact of US troops and demanded a “quick and orderly” exit of those combat units.
Washington not only countered by saying it has “no plans” to withdraw from Iraq, but announced on 14 January that it would be sending an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and Syria illegally, and without the consent of either nation.
One irony here is that ISIS appears to regain momentum each and every time Baghdad raises the issue of US military withdrawal from Iraq.
It can also no longer be seen as a coincidence that the terror group is now re-assembling its forces to target Washington and Tel Aviv’s most capable regional foes – the Axis of Resistance – just when the US and Israel are struggling to handle a region-wide, multi-front assault from the Axis.
The extraordinary synergies between the Americans and the world’s foremost terror group can no longer be ignored: their targets are one and the same, and ISIS is only now entering the fray, just as Washington begins to lose its hold on West Asia.The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declares its targeting of “espionage headquarters and terrorist gatherings” in both Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan. This action is in response to the two terrorist attacks that occurred in Kerman earlier this month.
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in Iran announced it targeted “the headquarters of terrorist groups in the region with ballistic missiles.” According to the IRGC statement, the attack came in response to “the terrorist crimes recently committed by Iran’s enemies.”
The Revolutionary Guard specified that its target included “gatherings of terrorists linked to the terrorist operations carried out in Iran recently.”
In a subsequent statement, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed that it had targeted “one of the main headquarters of the Israeli Mossad in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.” This action was stated to be a response to the Israeli occupation entity’s assassination of leaders within the Revolutionary Guard and the Axis of Resistance.
It explained that the targeted Mossad headquarters is “the center for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist operations in the region, especially against Iran.”
On the other hand, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Syria reported the sounds of explosions that shook the city of Aleppo. Preliminary information suggested missile strikes targeting locations in the southeastern part of the city.
Simultaneously, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Iraq reported that “the sounds of at least seven explosions were heard in Erbil” within the Kurdistan region, highlighting the presence of sirens at the American consulate in the city.
🚨 BREAKING: Alarms sound at the US consulate in Erbil in northern Iraq, which has reportedly come under fire of a ballistic missile or heavy drone attack. At least eight explosions have been heard.
Reuters, citing security sources, reported that “Erbil Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan region halts air traffic after explosions were heard in the city”
Moreover, two US officials told Reuters that the missile strikes in Iraq did not affect any US facilities and there were no US casualties.
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