Iranian firebrand MP Mahmoud Nabavian reveals the calculated strategy, diplomatic intrigue, and bold military prowess that showcased Tehran’s 13 April missile strikes on Israel.
Following the strategic success of Iran’s ‘True Promise’ retaliatory drone and missile operation in response to last month’s Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, The Cradle presents an exclusive insider‘s narrative provided by Iranian Member of Parliament Mahmoud Nabavian, a principalist who won the most votes in Tehran during the country’s March elections.
His account of the retaliatory strikes against the occupation state offers unparalleled insights into the 13–14 April events. With access to military sources, Nabavian’s testimony serves as the most detailed view to date by an Iranian government official on Iran’s response, one that has sorely exposed the vulnerabilities of Israel’s air defense systems.
In a closed Telegram posting, Nabavian explained that Israel’s “cowardly” attack, which led to the martyrdom of prominent leaders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), occurred “on our soil” – a reference to the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus:
“As the Imam [Ali Khamenei] said, the enemies made a mistake.” Iran’s full-on retaliatory strikes, he thus maintains, were justified and legal under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Below is a transcript (edited for length) from Nabavian’s important revelations about Iran’s military strikes on Israel and the flurry of international deal-making attempts that preceded them:
Two hours after the attack on the consulate in Damascus, the Iranian National Security Council convened and affirmed the inevitability of a response and gave a 10-day deadline to take the necessary diplomatic measures and for the armed forces to prepare their plan to respond.
Diplomatically, the first step was to go to the Security Council, even though we knew that this would be futile. But it was necessary to file a complaint about the attack on our land, assert our natural right to self-defense, and request a Security Council session. Because we are not members of the Council, we had to talk to member states to request that the session be held.
China, Russia, and Algeria agreed. Russia submitted the request, and the session was held, but the US, Germany, Britain, and France did not allow a statement to be issued condemning Israel. The heads of our missions abroad were also active in informing the concerned countries that we would respond to the Zionist entity.
Due to these pressures, Israel denied it had attacked a diplomatic building and that those who were targeted were not diplomats. The consulate building, four of its five floors, were purchased 45 years ago and were designated for diplomatic work. It was indeed a diplomatic building.
After we assured the international community of our right to respond, some countries, such as the US, Germany, England, France, Canada, and Egypt, tried to convince us not to do so, and they confirmed their readiness to meet Iran’s requests. For example, some of these countries that were not previously willing to grant entry visas to our diplomats or officials suddenly decided to do so immediately.
When the US realized that we were serious, it sent a threat that if the response was launched from Iranian territory, it might attack Iran. Our response was that the US is not among our targets, but if it decides to involve itself in defense of Israel, we will respond by targeting it as well, and as you know, there are many American bases around us.
Despite this, the US, Britain, France, and Germany insisted on the same message, yet our answer was that Israel crossed a red line. Then, they said, if we must respond, let it be from outside Iranian territory.
Why did they insist that the strike not be from inside Iran? Because for a long time, they have been assassinating our nuclear scientists and carrying out sabotage operations at the Natanz nuclear reactor. In the last six months alone, they have assassinated 18 members of our armed forces, and we have always responded through our allies [in the Axis of Resistance], but if we did that this time, we would lose face.
If Lebanese Hezbollah had responded to Israel, it could have bombed Beirut, and western powers would have seized upon this to say, ‘If this is a war between Iran and Israel, why did Hezbollah involve itself in it?’ They would also hold it responsible for the subsequent unrest in Lebanon.
Therefore, the insistence that the Iranian response should be through Iran’s allies was meant to distort Hezbollah’s reputation and unleash Israel to target it and other resistance forces in the region and to portray them as mercenaries of Iran. We read these western intentions well, and accordingly, the decision was taken to respond from within Iranian territory.
On the night of Eid al-Fitr, a meeting was held with the heads of diplomatic missions of the countries of the region, and we informed them that we are keen on good neighborliness, but if the US uses any of your countries to carry out action against us, we will strike the US bases on your lands.
This message was conveyed to Washington, and they realized that Iran was serious. They asked us to exercise restraint. The US, Germany, England, France, and Canada – these countries that support brutality and crime in the world and provide the weapons with which the people of Gaza are bombed – ask us to exercise restraint.
[UK Foreign Secretary] David Cameron called the night after the Iranian attack and said he couldn’t sleep last night. This is the malicious British foreign secretary. Why? Because we sent 300 drones and missiles over the heads of the Israelis. The Iranian official who spoke to him said, ‘For six months, rockets have been falling on the people of Gaza, and you slept well every night.’ This is the same malicious Britain that encouraged the US to launch attacks on Yemen.
The important thing is coordination at all levels before responding, politically, diplomatically, and in the media. After the Leader [Ali Khamenei] affirmed in his Eid al-Fitr sermon that we will certainly discipline the enemy, messages came to us requesting that the response be proportionate and not forceful.
Our answer was clear: that first, we would definitely strike Israel; second, that the attack would be direct from Iranian territory; and third, that the National Security Council decided that the response would be a deterrent.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan informed us that it had information that we would bomb the Israeli embassy in Baku, and they asked us not to carry out any action on their territory. I think this was a message that they could turn a blind eye to striking Israeli targets in a neighboring country, but we were already aware of that.
The messages we received were not limited to the US and European countries, but we also received messages from some countries in the region. We tried to take advantage of the matter to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, and we told everyone that this might be a solution to the problem.
They asked us whether a ceasefire in Gaza meant that we would refrain from responding. We answered that we would strike Israel in any case, but perhaps a decision like this would help reduce the severity of the attack. They asked that we give them a few days.
We asked our military forces to postpone the response for 24 hours and gave the countries of the world the opportunity to adhere to their obligations stipulated in international laws and for Israel to pledge not to attack Iranian forces and interests in the region and the world.
Regarding the Iranian request to conclude a permanent, complete, and immediate truce in the Gaza Strip: US President Joe Biden sent a message stating that he would work to achieve it himself, but he set a malicious condition, which is that the Palestinian resistance releases all Israeli prisoners in exchange for Israel releasing 900 Palestinian prisoners, after which the implementation of the truce begins.
Of course, Hamas did not agree to the matter, and this was the correct decision. We understood that they [the Americans] are not serious about reaching a truce and that they are only looking to achieve their malign goals.
Everyone realized that we would attack Israel. The US, France, Britain, and even Italy harnessed all their military capabilities in Qatar, alongside the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
They equipped six missile launchers in the region’s waters with a range of between 2,000 and 3,000 kilometers. They harnessed all modern satellites and radars, moved 103 aircraft into the region’s airspace to strike our missiles, and placed all air defense systems under unified command under the supervision of the US to confront Iranian missiles in several stages.
That is, if the Iranian missiles were able to pass any defense line, they would be targeted and shot down in the next.
What is interesting is that the German foreign minister, 24 hours before the Iranian operation was carried out, called us and was pleading that we not target Israel from inside Iranian territory. He said that our missiles would not be able to pass the obstacles and defense lines that they had prepared to intercept our missiles and that the US was using 70 drones in Iraq for that, and it would increase the number to 700.
They were monitoring the movements of our soldiers, missiles, and drones, and they believed that none of the Iranian missiles would reach Israel. They were confident that the missiles would not be able to penetrate air defense systems.
At the Turkish Incirlik base, which includes 5,000 soldiers, a large number of AWACS planes and 15 jamming planes were harnessed to repel our attack.
As such, they were astonished at how Iran was able to evade the huge layers of defense they had activated, and what surprised them even more was that it took five and a half to seven hours for the drones to reach the Zionist entity, and their speed was not great, which meant that they were easy to shoot down.
Twenty-four hours before the operation, Washington sent a firm message stating that if we decided to attack Israel from our territory, they will respond militarily against Iran. This time, they did not talk about possibilities but rather said that they would definitely attack Iranian territory. Our answer was decisive, that we will definitely strike Israel from within our territories, and if you commit any mistake, we will target all your bases in the region.
We informed Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region that if Iranian territory is targeted from within your territory, we will definitely respond. Saudi Arabia announced that it would not allow any operation against Iran to be carried out from its territory, and the authorities in Cyprus also informed us of a similar message.
We knew that the Iraqi and Jordanian airspace was completely under US control. We thought about the Israeli targets that we were going to hit, and we faced two obstacles: the first was that their air defenses were very strong, and we had to find a way for our drones and missiles to pass them, and the second was not to take action that will lead to us being condemned.
The decision was to strike two military targets: the first was the [Nevatim] airport from which the F-35 plane that bombed the Iranian consulate took off, and the second was an Israeli intelligence center in the Golan. By coincidence, the fighter jet that targeted the consulate fired its missiles from above this intelligence headquarters.
Our drones, numbering about 130, were launched, the majority of which belonged to us, and between two and three were sent by our allied forces. We also launched missiles carrying explosive warheads, a large number of which deflected the air defenses from their path.
I will not talk much about the number of hits we targeted, but out of 17 missiles, 15 hit their targets, meaning 89 percent. The whole west was there, and we delivered an important message to the world.
In the aftermath of the operation, 15 countries contacted and said that they were seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and asked Israel not to respond.
The British and German foreign ministers contacted us and said that international law does not include the term “punishment.” We answered them: If that does not exist in international law, why did you propose punishing Hamas after 7 October? The calls continued to ask whether we would attack Israel again. We said that if we were attacked, we would respond tenfold.
The countries of the region have now understood Iran’s capabilities and it seems that they will seek to significantly improve their relations with Iran. The Israelis realized that when the spirit of despair takes hold, as Ben Gurion says, ‘we will begin to fall down the slope that leads to the abyss,’ and this has become clear to the world.
As the master of the resistance [Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah] expresses, ‘Israel is weaker than a spider’s web,’ and, God willing, this operation will be a deterrent against the assassinations that were occurring against us. Now, this is the only thing that Israel can do, and we must be more vigilant, and we must instill hope in the peoples of the region and not care about the rulers.
Mahmoud Nabavian’s account not only exposes the meticulous planning behind the Islamic Republic’s response but also reveals a resolve to defend sovereignty and impose a credible deterrence against future violations – at all costs.
Tehran’s military response should be interpreted beyond the current regional war centered on Gaza and signals a broad recalibration of power dynamics in West Asia. As western and neighboring states assess the implications of Iran’s new assertive military posture, alliances, and strategies will require careful reconsideration.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and MintPress News contributor exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions. His work has previously appeared in The Cradle, Declassified UK, and Grayzone. Follow him on Twitter @KitKlarenberg.
On April 13, Iran, alongside Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Ansar Allah, executed Operation True Promise, a vast wave of drone, cruise and ballistic missile strikes on Israel, launched in retaliation to Tel Aviv’s criminal bombing of Tehran’s Damascus embassy less than two weeks earlier, which killed two Iranian generals. As a result, history was made, and the world – particularly West Asia – will never be the same again.
“This action was hugely significant. Now, the Israelis will have to be extremely careful about what they do in Syria against Tehran. The regional balance of power has permanently shifted away from the Zionists. Tel Aviv will never recover at all. It is the end of them. They have destroyed themselves. They are seen as a regime that has no place in the civilized world, a Nazi state, across the entire globe,” geopolitical expert Dr. Mohammad Marandi tells MintPress News.
Iran’s first-ever strike on Israel, following decades of provocations, escalations, assassinations, incendiary threats, and determined lobbying for U.S.-led war against Tehran by Tel Aviv officials, the effort targeted airbases, Israeli Air Force intelligence HQ and a constellation of air defense systems. The U.S., Britain, and France scrambled jets to help shoot the vast payload down – unsuccessfully – while Jordan controversially permitted Western powers to use its airspace for the purpose. Israel claimed a 99% interception rate.
However, extensive photo and video material shows that most missiles hit their targets and wrought much damage. In the process, Iran demonstrated to Tel Aviv and its Western backers a hitherto unknown ability to circumvent layer upon layer of protective measures, including top-tier fighter jets, NATO-supplied air defense systems, and the much-vaunted Iron Dome. One by one, they largely failed in their duty, leading to the astonishing sight of Iranian missiles soaring unmolested over the Knesset.
This righteous scene no doubt sent untold chills through Western and Israeli corridors of power, searching vainly for spines to run up. It also dispatched a palpable message—Tehran could, if it wished, have struck the Zionist legislature but didn’t do so. For the time being, at least. The floor was now Tel Aviv’s to decide whether—and how—to retaliate. A response came on April 19 in the form of pre-dawn drone sorties across Iran.
Initially framed by Western media as hugely impactful, in reality, a small swarm of Israeli quadcopters attempted to breach Tehran’s air defenses but ultimately couldn’t. An Iranian spokesperson referred to the effort as “failed and humiliating.” This characterization surely applies more widely to the pathetic state to which Tel Aviv has been reduced following Operation True Promise’s seismic success. As we shall see, Israel now has little time remaining and no good choices left to make.
Iraqi military personnel inspect Israeli missile fragments found by farmers in Latifiya and Aziziya. Photo | Sabreen
‘NEW EQUATION’
Despite its astonishing optics and unprecedented nature, some West Asian observers were disappointed that the attack on Israel wasn’t a decapitation. Such perspectives overlook Iran’s longstanding commitment to caution. Devastation of Tehran’s Syrian embassy was without historical parallel and concerned with Israel eliciting a major escalation to drag the U.S. into total war. A measured, well-advertised show of strength deterred a broader response while signaling a major shift in Iranian policy towards Israel. IRGC commander Hossein Salami has said:
“We have decided to create a New Equation, and that is if from now on the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, personalities, and citizens, at any point, we will attack against them.“
Those are fighting words, and Operation True Promise demonstrated they can be backed with action. Iran has shown it can strike Israel directly from its own soil, its fleets of missiles and drones capable of traveling thousands of kilometers over both friendly and hostile airspace, separate timezones, and multiple countries. Along the way, Tehran will have gleaned an enormous amount of invaluable intelligence on the defensive capabilities and vulnerabilities of Israel and the local Western infrastructure upon which its defenses depend.
Any future Iranian strike would make the most of whatever was learned on April 13, and the data yield was surely enormous. Since Russia’s “Special Military Operation” began in February 2022, defense cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has reached extraordinary levels – and intensive learning and on-the-go refinement of battle strategy is core Russian military doctrine. As a nameless Ukrainian Army officer bitterly toldPolitico on April 3, Western weapons systems sent to Kiev “become redundant very quickly because they’re quickly countered by the Russians”:
“We used Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles [supplied by Britain and France] successfully – but just for a short time. The Russians are always studying. They don’t give us a second chance. And they’re successful in this.“
If there’s a next time, too, Iran’s missile and drone fleet is likely to be considerably more sustained, playing out over several days, weeks, or even months, wave after wave, burst after burst. Estimates suggest around 300 separate projectiles were fired at Israel during Operation True Promise. Largely unsuccessful attempts to repel the blitz by Tel Aviv alone cost $1.08 – 1.35 billion, according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) general.
“One Arrow missile used to intercept an Iranian ballistic missile costs $3.5 million, while the cost of one David Sling missile is $1 million, in addition to the sorties of aircraft that participated in intercepting the Iranian drones,” they told local media. Meanwhile, an Israeli think tank researcher calculates the costs “were enormous,” comparable to what Israel burned through during the entire 1973 Arab-Israeli war, which lasted almost three weeks.
IDF personnel remove debris from missile intercepted during the Iranian attack in southern Israel. Photo | IDF
Those sums were spent on missile interceptors, missiles, jet fuel, and other military equipment and infrastructure. It is uncertain how much Iran spent on the Operation, but it is undoubtedly a great many orders of magnitude less. Some sources have suggested $30 million, which could well be accurate. Dr. Marandi tells MintPress News that “most” of the initial “decoy” barrage, including drones, were collecting dust. “Tehran was looking for an excuse to get rid of them,” he says.
“Most of the heavy-duty work attempting to counter Iran’s strike was done by the Americans anyway, not the Israelis. The Iron Dome barely factored in. The two places hit hardest – the southern airbase where F35s are based and Tel Aviv’s Golan Heights intelligence base resulted in significant damage and casualties. Of course, the Zionists don’t admit this,” Dr. Marandi adds.
This massive cost discrepancy is a very, very grave issue for Israel, as the U.S. can attest, given its embarrassing experiences attempting – and completely failing – to end Ansar Allah’s anti-genocide blockade of the Red Sea. Almost immediately, Politico reported that the Pentagon was aghast at squandering missiles costing millions to shoot down $2,000 Ansar Allah drones. A CIA officer lamented:
“That quickly becomes a problem because the most benefit, even if we do shoot down their incoming missiles and drones, is in their favor. We, the U.S., need to start looking at systems that can defeat these that are more in line with the costs they are expending to attack us.“
‘ISRAEL GOES UNDER’
There is no sign yet of Washington having publicly rectified this concern, which may account for why U.S. officials at the start of April offered Ansar Allah a sweeping offer of total surrender in return for ending the Red Sea blockade. This was summarily rejected. No business as usual – no commerce, no trade – on Yemen’s watch while Palestinians are slaughtered. In the event of any subsequent Iranian strike on Tel Aviv, too, Tehran’s drones will not be used to deter shipping either, but tie up, smoke out, and exhaust Israeli air defenses.
This tactic was used to significant effect on April 13, as it has been by Russia since its airstrikes on critical Ukrainian infrastructure began in late 2022. Now, Kiev is on the verge of being de-electrified, which will cause battlefield collapse and population displacement, with potentially devastating knock-on effects on neighboring countries and states trying to keep Kiev’s lights on. It seems safe to say neither Israel nor its Western allies could sustain a serious defense to a protracted assault by Tehran, economically or materially.
That conclusion is supported by an April 22 Wall Street Journal report, which revealed the Biden administration was shocked at the scale of Iran’s barrage. It “matched worst-case scenarios” outlined by U.S. intelligence and the Pentagon, an unnamed senior official despairing, “this was on the high end…of what we were anticipating.” White House Situation Room attendees on the day allegedly feared Israel and its allies would not be able to repel the assault. And they couldn’t.
On top of a mass crime against humanity amounting to a 21st-century Holocaust, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been utterly destructive to its own economy. A Financial Times investigation published on November 6 documented how the assault has ravaged personal finances, job markets, businesses, industries, and the Israeli government itself.
“Thousands” of companies were teetering on the brink of collapse, with entire sectors plunged into an unprecedented crisis. One in three businesses had either shuttered or were operating at 20 percent capacity.“
One can imagine how much worse things have gotten in the six months since, and Israel isn’t yet embroiled in an all-out war. An extended period of mass strikes from Iran, Ansar Allah and Hezbollah could completely paralyze the country economically, render entire areas uninhabitable – or, at least, uninhabited – destroy infrastructure, and much more. Among the infrastructure in Tehran’s crosshairs could well be the Dimona nuclear power plant, which would unleash deadly chaos on a terrifying scale.
Resultantly, Israel’s “Samson Option,” under which it is committed to launch a mass nuclear strike if its existence is threatened, should no longer be taken very seriously. Israeli military theorist Martin van Creveld once boasted, “We have the capability to take the world down with us, and I can assure you that will happen before Israel goes under.” But Tehran’s hypersonic missile capabilities are in every way an effective counter-deterrent. They could even deliver a nuclear, chemical or biological payload of their own.
‘WHOEVER MOVES’
Israel’s Iranian drubbing is further exacerbated by its attempt to crush Hamas being an absolute disaster in every conceivable way. The fiasco’s consequences are and will remain wide-ranging and grave, to the extent they could be fatal. This may account for Netanyahu’s flailing bid to draw Tehran into all-out war. After all, the scale of the Israeli Defense Forces’ defeat is such that in a scathing op-ed for Haaretz on April 11, Zionist “journalist” Chaim Levinson lamented:
“We’ve lost. Truth must be told… It’s unpleasant to say, but we may not be able to safety [sic] return to Israel’s northern border…No cabinet minister will restore our sense of personal security. Every Iranian threat will make us tremble. Our international standing was dealt a beating. Our leadership’s weakness was revealed to the outside. For years we managed to fool them into thinking we were a strong country, a wise people and a powerful army. In truth, we’re a shtetl with an airforce, and that’s on the condition it’s awakened in time.”
Haaretz | Apr 11, 2024
Even the Western media, which since the genocide began has been at best silent and at worst complicit – and much more active in the latter sphere than the former – has acknowledged Tel Aviv’s battlefield cataclysm. The Economist, a nakedly Zionist publication that has whitewashed, diminished, or outright justified every conceivable crime committed by the IDF, has condemned the Forces’ “military and moral failures” and how “its generals botched the strategy, and discipline among troops has broken down”:
“[Israel is] accused of two catastrophic failures. First, it has not achieved its military objectives in Gaza. Second, it has acted immorally and broken the laws of war. The implications for both the IDF and Israel are profound…Hamas fighters are still ambushing Israeli forces throughout Gaza, and the group is reasserting itself in areas the IDF has left…Accusations that Israel has broken the laws of war are plausible.“
The Economist went on to slam a “lack of enforcement” of already virtually non-existent “rules of engagement” under which the IDF operates. A “veteran reserve officer” was quoted as saying commanders could arbitrarily “decide that whoever moves in his sector is a terrorist or that buildings should be destroyed.” A sapper in another unit admitted, “The only limit to the number of buildings we blew up was the time we had inside Gaza”:
“Soldiers have filmed themselves vandalizing Palestinian property and, in some cases, put those videos online. On February 20, the IDF’s chief of staff published a public letter to all soldiers warning them to use force only where necessary, ‘to distinguish between a terrorist and who is not, not to take anything which isn’t ours – a souvenir or weaponry – and not to film vengeance videos.’ Four months into the war, this was too little, too late.”
That The Economist printed such things at all reflects how far Israel has fallen since October 7, 2023. Now, it is a global pariah, viscerally loathed by the overwhelming majority of the world’s citizenry. Adversaries do not fear its once-vaunted military and its ability to unilaterally strike neighboring countries with total impunity, and no comebacks, is over. Tel Aviv’s claim to “defense” and security primacy, upon which much of its exports were successfully marketed for decades, has been amply demonstrated to be bogus.
Meanwhile, Israel has suffered population collapse, with simultaneous mass brain drain and workforce freefall as settlers flee or get conscripted. Demand for mental health services has reached all-time highs. The trauma of perpetrating genocide and living under the daily threat of attack, as Palestinians have since 1948, has ravaged soldiers and civilians alike. But scores of psychiatrists have relocated elsewhere due to stressful workloads and likely won’t return. Such are the foundational flaws of a settler colonial state.
“I don’t think 10 years from now Israel will exist. Zionism will die. The only solution is equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews throughout Palestine. This war will continue, but direct engagement with Iran would be totally destructive, militarily. So the Israelis now target Rafah, but they will be defeated there, and they know that. As long as Netanyahu is leader, we will have a continuation of this tragedy. The only way out is a coup in Tel Aviv,” Dr. Marandi concludes.
For many, these developments may be little consolation, coming as they do off the back of thousands of murdered and mutilated Palestinian children. Yet, Israel as we know it is on the brink of extinction, which wasn’t the case before Hamas breached Gaza’s concentration camp walls. Palestine is now closer to being free than at any point since Israel’s creation. And there is no going back to “normal.”
Time is now and forever on the side of the tenacious, undefeated Resistance – so, too, justice and virtue. We should never forget the immortal, galvanizing words of Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, slain in cold blood by a targeted IDF airstrike on December 6, 2023:
“If I must die, let it bring hope‘
Feature photo | A passerby, taking on his cellphone, walks past a banner showing missiles being launched from Iranian map in northern Tehran, Iran, April 19, 2024. Vahid Salemi | AP
It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of the operation launched by Hamas and factions of the Palestinian Resistance on October 7, which forever annihilated the prestige of the Israeli army. Yet the strikes launched by Iran on April 13 and 14 are also truly historic.
For the first time, the backbone of the Axis of Resistance targeted Israel directly from its territory, launching the largest missile attack ever recorded against Israel and the largest drone attack in history. We have entered a whole new phase in the Arab-Israeli and Persian-Israeli conflict, and this is the final one as all the taboos have now been broken, and new equations have been established.
Israel’s deterrence capacity no longer exists. Since October 7, Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansar Allah and the Iraqi Resistance have shattered it. Still, these were Resistance movements, not a State with much more to lose. This direct action by Iran is all the more significant as Israel has been threatening to bomb Iran for decades without ever daring to do so, while Iran very quickly carried out its threats.
Iran launched its strike despite U.S. and Western threats, demonstrating unparalleled courage and a readiness to enter into a regional war and directly threatening the United States and its Arab vassals in the region with direct strikes in the event of interference. This audacity foiled the bluff of the Biden administration, which officially declared that it would not support an Israeli response from which it disassociated itself in advance.
Iran’s military prowess was clearly demonstrated. Despite the fact that this attack was known in advance and that the capabilities – both aviation and anti-missile defenses of no less than five military powers directly assisting Israel (the United States, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and Jordan) were unable to stop Iran from striking Israeli territory. Israel’s defense systems were saturated, sirens sounded from north to south for hours, and yet at least twenty direct hits were recorded.
Iran demonstrated its moral superiority. It strictly applied Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which authorizes the use of force in self-defense, targeted only military targets (two air bases that were destroyed according to Iran and damaged according to Israel), and gave advance warning of its strike, which enabled the countries affected to close their airspace, thus protecting the civilian airliners that Israel had been endangering for days by massively jamming GPS signals throughout the region.
Finally, as Marwa Osman put it, the failure of Israel’s five layers of defense was compensated for by a sixth layer of media defense, with journalists repeating that Israel and its allies were able to intercept 99% of the projectiles. Given the impacts recorded, this would mean that Iran fired 1,000 to 2,000 drones and missiles, whereas all the Western data puts the figure below 500; the aim of this deceit was obviously to allow Israel to save face and enable it to claim victory as it supposedly was able to intercept 99% of the projectiles.
Sayed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in 2007,
“Those who make threats should have realized that military threats or attacks against Iran – in the sense of hit-and-run attacks – are no longer possible. Those who invade us will have to suffer from the devastating consequences of their actions.“
While his statement has been mocked many times, particularly given the numerous Israeli attacks on Iranian bases in Syria that have cost the lives of many members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with relative impunity, no one today doubts the seriousness of this assertion. When its territory is hit, as was the case with the blatant Israeli strike against its consulate in Damascus, the aggressor is hit directly. And from now on, as Hossein Salami, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, stated following Iran’s attack, any open attack against Iranian interests will be met with the same retribution,
“We have established a new equation with the Zionist entity, responding directly from Iranian territory to any aggression on its part against Iranian interests, property, personalities and citizens in any part of the world. We have opened a new chapter in the confrontation with the enemy.“
This is a truly tectonic shift in the equations of power and deterrence. Those who play down the importance of the attack ignore its long-term political and strategic significance, which is in line with Iran’s vision, shared by the entire Axis of Resistance, of the form, scale and timing of the struggle against Israel. As Fadi Quran, the Campaign Director of Avaaz, pointed out following the attack,
The scale of Iran’s attack, the diversity of locations it targeted, and weapons it used forced Israel to uncover the majority of anti-missile technologies the U.S. and it have across the region. The Iranians did not use any weapons Israel didn’t know it had; it just used a lot of them. But the Iranians likely now have almost a full map of what Israel’s missile defense system looks like, as well as where in Jordan and the Gulf the U.S. has installations. It also knows how long it takes to prepare them, how Israeli society responds…etc.
“This is a huge strategic cost to Israel, while Arab regimes are now being blasted by their peoples, particularly the Jordanian monarchy, for not doing anything to protect Gazans but then going all out to protect Israel. Crucially, Iran can now reverse engineer all the intel gathered from this attack to make a much more deadly one credible. While the U.S. and Israel will have to re-design away from their current model which has been compromised. Its success in stopping this choreographed attack is thus still very costly.”
While Israel proved barely capable of defending itself, at an exorbitant cost of over a billion dollars no less, against an attack that was limited in scope, lacked the element of surprise and cost Iran a measly 35 million dollars, there is little doubt in anyone’s mind that in the event of a regional war, Israel’s defense capabilities would quickly be saturated, leaving its territory devastated and its population decimated. The Israeli population is now clearly aware of this, and the depopulation process that has already cost it hundreds of thousands of nationals since October 7 is only set to increase.
For their part, the Palestinian people, abandoned by the world and Arab regimes in particular, were able to enjoy a brief respite. Gaza experienced its first hours of calm since October 7 during this unforgettable night. Palestinians were able to let their joy burst forth when they saw the epic images of the Iranian missiles flying over the Knesset and the Al-Aqsa mosque before striking the hearts of those responsible for their mass slaughter.
Not unlike the psychological shock of October 7, that of the night of April 13 will forever be engraved in people’s consciences. It will galvanize the Resistance while speeding up the process of “reverse migration” of Israeli settlers who have lived through a night of terror and nightmare and are now convinced that their army is incapable of protecting them.
With the senseless act of attacking the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Netanyahu sought to escape the inevitable reality of the bitter military failure of the army of occupation, despite six months of genocide and destruction, and to restore Israel’s illusion of power. The result is the opposite of what he likely expected, with Israel weaker and more isolated than ever.
Israel now has only one choice: to end the war in Gaza or go forward with a suicidal escalation that will set the region ablaze. The United States has clearly announced its desire to calm tensions and reach a ceasefire. The question now is whether Netanyahu’s instinct for self-preservation (his political survival) will take over the general interest. This scenario would put the very existence of Israel at risk.
Editor’s Note: The author of this article has chosen to publish under a pseudonym. This decision stems from residing in a European country where expressing criticism of Israel has become increasingly challenging. Sadly, governmental crackdowns on activism have compelled the author and others to take this precaution to safeguard their ability to contribute to public discourse. We believe it is crucial to respect their decision while valuing the insights and perspectives they offer in their writing.
Iran’s successful breach of Israel’s highly regarded air defenses, despite the multi-nation alliance that joined those defense efforts, ultimately served as an Iranian political message to Tel Aviv.
Iran’s 13 April retaliatory missile strike on Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise, managed to overcome the occupation state’s integrated air defense systems and external foreign support.
The strike, intended to deter future actions by Israel against Iranian personnel and facilities, was notably executed to avoid casualties and serious damage. The operation was especially bold as it targeted Israel, an undeclared nuclear power.
Open-source intelligence from videos and photographs identified multiple warheads striking Ramon airbase in the Negev, not Nevatim, as previously reported, although the occupation army confirmed strikes on Nevatim and released images showing minor damage. This suggests a systematic failure of Israel’s lauded air defenses against those five missiles that hit their target, one after the other.
A look at the missiles used
As Brigadier-General Ali Hajizadeh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force’s commander, later stated:
We attacked Israel using obsolete weapons and minimal means. At this stage, we did not use Khorramshahr, Sejjil, Shahid Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan[-2], and Hypersonic-2 missiles.
So what missiles did Iran deploy from its significant domestically-produced arsenal, and why?
Ghadr: Despite being 20 years old, this missile proved effective by deploying decoy warheads to exhaust Israel’s Arrow-2 intercept capabilities. While traversing in space, the Ghadr releases about 10 decoy warheads to lure Arrow-2 to launch 10 interceptors each at all 10 Iranian decoys – draining the enemy’s munitions stock.
The images of Israeli interceptors responding to a range of “lights in the skies” were, in fact, often just firing at decoys. The actual Iranian warheads, if not differentiated by Arrow-2’s systems and destroyed by its interceptors, reached their targets.
The missile is still relevant in Iran’s arsenal as it can create additional targets for the enemy’s missile defenses and suppress the operation of large-area assets, such as airbases.
Dezful: A compact, cost-effective missile with a 600 to 700-kilogram payload, apparently used specifically to strike at an Israeli intelligence base in the occupied northern Golan, demonstrating its strategic deployment within its range limits.
This is a low-cost, single-stage precision missile weighing just about 6 tons, yet able to reach Israel – a revolutionary advancement for Iran when Dezful entered service five years ago – but not Nevatim, because its range is about 1,000 kilometers.
Emad: Approximately a decade old, this was used to test Iran’s countermeasures against newer air defense systems like Israel’s Arrow-3 and the American SM-3. It releases inflatable decoys in space to evade interception before re-entry.
Kheibar-Shekan-1: (early model, not the Kheibar-Shekan-2): IRGC’s answer to Israel’s Arrow-3. Kheibar-Shekan-1 entered service with IRGC Aerospace Force in 2022. It counters Arrow-3 by flying on a “depressed trajectory.”
During the terminal phase of its flight, the Kheibar-Shekan-1 performs aerodynamic maneuvers designed to evade interception from multiple defense systems, including Arrow, Patriot, and David’s Sling.
These maneuvers, likened to a boxer dodging punches, complicate the interception process by forcing defense systems to delay their responses or deploy multiple interceptors, reducing their overall effectiveness.
The Kheibar-Shekan-1 forces missile defenses to launch in the “launch-on-remote” mode, meaning several interceptors are required against a single missile. The successful strikes attributed to this missile, as indicated by Israel – with nine confirmed hits – underline its effectiveness and represent a significant evolution in missile technology despite being a generation behind the most recent IRGC models.
Kheibar-Shekan-1’s maneuverability makes it the most likely candidate to have achieved the successful strikes captured by video imagery.
Iranian media has since quoted Hajizadeh saying, “At this stage, we did not use the Khorramshahr, Sejjil, Shahid Haj Qassem, Kheibar-Shekan[-2], and Hypersonic-2 missiles,” which are all part of Iran’s advanced missile arsenal. That does not necessarily preclude Iran’s use of the older Kheibar-Shekan-1 missile, which still appears to be the most likely Iranian missile used to achieve direct hits successively.
‘Weaker than a spider’s web’
Despite Israel’s integrated air defense system, which is bolstered by data from a US monitoring station in the Negev Desert and 36-hour prior notification of the strike from Tehran, multiple Iranian missiles successfully struck their targets.
The US station monitors Iranian missile launches, with the collected data intended to enhance Israel’s defensive response. But despite the support of a multi-nation coalition, which included Jordan defending its airspace and Saudi Arabia and the UAE providing intelligence, Israel’s defenses were breached.
While Israel engaged in GPS jamming before the Iranian attack, its efforts proved futile. Such “electronic warfare” measures cannot counter Iran’s ballistic missiles. Although older drone models are susceptible to this, Iran’s Shahed-136 drone models have been “hardened” against GPS jamming.
This is likely based on Russian experiences in the Ukrainian military theater that were shared with the IRGC Aerospace Force. IRGC’s missiles use “inertial guidance systems,” which rely on built-in guidance systems like gyroscopes and computers.
An inertial guidance system receives input at and just after launch. At this point, it ceases to receive data from the IRGC launch base and relies solely on its onboard systems. That the missiles traveled 1,000 to 1,200 kilometers and struck targets with pinpoint accuracy guided solely by onboard systems is a superlative achievement by Iran.
Israel’s defense credibility at stake
Israel and its allies claim hundreds of missiles and drones were launched by Iran. However, estimates favorable to the Iranian side suggest only 50 to 60 missiles were launched, with 9 to 15 striking their designated targets.
The Israeli military’s propagandist claim of a 99 percent interception rate would fall to about 50 or 60 percent if the above estimate is accurate. The Israeli claim on the number of missiles may be inflated if they are counting the decoys deployed by Ghadr missiles. If so, the picture would look much grimmer for Israel’s missile defense performance.
Hence, to save face and contain escalation, a politically driven inflation of overall launches is evident. This is in line with US interests, which seek to prevent escalation by Israel. Whether Washington’s aim of containing the crisis would allow it to publish the true number is unclear, particularly if the Iranian salvo was small. If it were proven that a relatively small Iranian salvo managed to defeat a complex missile defense system, Israel would lose its aura of invincibility.
Sending a clear message
The types and quantities of missiles Iran chose to use in this strike are not just military tactics but also political messages intended to demonstrate capabilities and expose vulnerabilities in Israel’s air defense systems.
What is evident, though, is that once multiple Iranian warheads penetrate Israel’s air defense systems and strike critical targets, an equation-changing political-military event has occurred. This is to say, Iran made a powerful statement by breaking through Israel’s air defenses and doing so with older ballistic missiles.
In response to threats from Israel about targeting Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, the resilience of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure poses a significant challenge to the occupation state’s conventional capabilities.
Despite the drawbacks, the potential political gains from such an attack might be considered favorable by embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing, nationalist government.
In contrast, Iran’s response to any Israeli attack on nuclear facilities like Natanz or Fordow would likely be intense, drawing on the full capabilities of the IRGC Aerospace Force. It would also – to the horror of Tel Aviv and Washington – potentially lead to a revision of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear doctrine – as was suggested on 18 April by Iran’s Nuclear Centers Protection and Security Corps, Brigadier General Ahmed Haq Talab.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel was framed in the West as a reckless attempt to spark a major regional war, but in reality, Israel has been attacking Iran for decades.
As is routinely the case with Western-backed wars, the corporate media’s timeline begins at the moment that suits their narrative. We have seen this play out recently, with the attempt to rob the Gaza war of all contexts before October 7, 2023. Similarly, when it comes to Israel’s conflict with Iran, the two have been embroiled in what is referred to as a “shadow war,” the details of which are pretty shocking.
While the international media’s attention was riveted on Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel, drawing great focus to some 300 drones and missiles used in the attack, no major deal was made of Israel’s strike on April 1 against the consular segment of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, Syria, that killed a dozen people, including seven Iranian officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In this unprecedented act of aggression against Iranian soil, breaking international diplomatic norms, the Israelis were shielded by the U.S. government at the United Nations Security Council, blocking any condemnation of this act.
Despite an admission from British Foreign Secretary David Cameron that had the UK embassy been attacked similarly, they too would retaliate, the double-standard argument that Iran shouldn’t respond continues to dominate the airways.
This is as Iran’s IRGC has received condemnation for seizing a container ship in the Persian Gulf associated with the Zodiac Maritime shipping company of Israel billionaire Eyal Ofer and his family. In 2021, the Mercer Street oil tanker, which Zodiac Maritime also operated, was struck by Iranian drones, prompting similar condemnation. Yet, little was to be said regarding the Israeli-owned company’s role in collaborating with the Israeli military and intelligence establishment to ferry arms and operatives around the region and carry out assassinations or reconnaissance missions.
However, the Israel-Iran “Shadow War” did not begin with recent events. Israel has been carrying out brutal assassinations of civilian scientists on Iranian soil since 2010 while also carrying out acts of espionage that have endangered innocent civilians in the country.
As early as in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012, Israeli Mossad agents have been planting viruses designed to cause malfunctions in Iranian oil and nuclear power facilities. Another kind of provocative action occurred in 2018, when it was reported that an Israeli Mossad team had raided an archive facility in Tehran, stealing documents that pertained to its nuclear power program.
In 2020, the New York Times and Washington Post reported that Israel planted bombs inside Iran’s Natanz Nuclear facility, which almost caused an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe. Later that year, the Israeli Mossad assassinated Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in Tehran. Then, in April of 2021, another explosion occurred at the Natanz facility, which the New York Times reported was Israel’s doing.
The Israelis have also trained members of the MEK terrorist group to carry out attacks on civilian targets inside Iran. The list of Mossad-linked cells that have been arrested by the Iranian authorities or carried out acts of espionage and sabotage is simply too numerous to cover at length. Early last year, U.S. officials even told Reuters that a suicide drone attack targeting a factory in the city of Isfahan was an Israeli attack.
More recently, in late December, Israel launched airstrikes on Damascus and assassinated IRGC official Seyed Razi Mousavi. And in January, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, murdering five Iranian military personnel members and Syrian citizens. Then, in early February, Israel was accused of blowing up gas pipelines in Iran. None of these actions, which would likely illicit a response by most nations, provoked Iran to launch a direct strike on Israel.
In addition to all of this, Israel has been the world’s top cheerleader for the West’s crushing sanctions that have significantly impacted Iran’s civilian population, specifically access to lifesaving medical supplies. AIPAC, the powerful Israeli Lobby group in the United States, worked hard to prevent the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal from passing, then pushed for the Trump administration to unilaterally withdraw before pressuring the Biden administration to refrain from reviving the deal despite this being a campaign promise. Israel even played a role in the Trump administration’s assassination of Iran’s top general tasked with battling ISIS, Qassem Soleimani.
Yet, despite Israel’s long history of documented attacks against Iran and around 30 years of false predictions as to when Iran is supposedly going to develop a nuclear weapon, which is the premise for Western sanctions, the corporate media is still trying to sell the public on the lie that Israel is an innocent victim and that there was no justifiable reason for Iran to retaliate.
Commander in Chief of the Iranian Army Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi (R) and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri (L) visiting an underground drone base, in an unknown location in Iran, May 19, 2022. (Iranian Armed Forces)
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth points out that Israeli officials made a grave mistake when assuming that Iran was “hesitant” and would conduct a limited response.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Monday that the night of Iran’s response to the targeting of the consulate in Damascus was a “strategic farce” for the occupation entity.
The daily spoke of a “strategic failure” suffered by “Israel,” noting that “Israel was enslaved for two weeks, in the midst of tension that paralyzed it, after it carried out the assassination” of the senior IRGC advisors in the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks ago.
“Why was an assassination carried out that could lead to a confrontation much more complex than it currently is in the North and South, while the story there is also far from over?” it questioned.
Taking aim at Prime Minister Netanyahu, his government, in addition to military and security top officials, the outlet mockingly asked, “How are leaders, who have previously approved several times plans for invading Rafah, which has not happened yet, supposed to threaten Tehran?”
In the face of this, the outlet found that the response for this failure would be “another classic Israeli answer,” which is, “wrong, we were wrong, we made a mistake.”
Likewise, it pointed out that intelligence estimates indicated that Iran “will not change its way of operating” if the Israeli army were to assassinate one of its figures in Damascus, on sovereign Iranian soil.
Israeli officials “forgot that Israel is no longer in a position to make threats, that it has a government that lacks confidence, that its army has erred more than once, and does not know how to recover from that.”
Additionally, the outlet questioned whether the assassination operation was “urgent,” knowing that “Israel was on the verge of closely examining the ring of fire that surrounded it.”
“Once again, it has been proven that Israel does not like to think differently when it comes to dramatic steps made by the enemy.”
In this context, the newspaper recalled the Seif of Al-Quds battle in 2021, in which “Israel believed that Hamas would not shell al-Quds and risk a comprehensive battle,” and kept this line of thinking “until October 7, when it believed that Hamas was deterred.'”
Moreover, the assassination of the leaders of the IRGC in the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus was a misjudgment assuming that Iran is “hesitant,” which turned into a “historic attack” launched by Tehran, Yedioth Ahronoth concluded.
Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf states that Iran’s military action is part of the response to the Zionist aggression and within the framework of the United Nations Charter.
The Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the slap delivered by the Iranian people to the Zionist enemy was precise, teaching “Israel” a lesson.
He added the Iranian response would be tougher if the Zionist entity should make any movement.
In a speech at the Council’s public session this morning, Ghalibaf also said that the Iranian people’s protectors’ precise response delighted the hearts of “our people.”
He stressed that this Iranian military action is part of the response to the Zionist aggression [on the Iranian consulate in Damascus] and within the framework of the United Nations Charter.
Talking to Press TV, the senior IRGC commander warned that any attack on Iranian soil would see a response with “twice the force”.
His comments came after the IRGC launched a massive operation late April 13, targeting the occupation entity with dozens of missiles and drones in response to the attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus last week, which resulted in the martyrdom of seven senior IRGC advisors, including Brigadier General martyr Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the leader of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.
In a statement, the IRGC said that the operation targeting “Israel,” dubbed “True Promise,” came following the “silence and neglect” of international organizations regarding the attack on the consulate and the assassination of its senior members. The statement pointed out that the United Nations Security Council also failed to condemn Israeli aggression or punish the entity in accordance with Article 7 of the UN Charter.
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has issued a stern warning to ‘Israel’, stating that any response from the occupying regime will be met with a stronger, more powerful retaliation from Iran. Raisi praised the recent retaliatory attack by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on Israeli-occupied territories, calling it a historic turning point that taught the aggressor an unforgettable lesson.
Raeisi: Last night's combined operations carry a message of strength and power to the Islamic nation and a message of fear and humiliation to the enemies of humanity. pic.twitter.com/ylxxleikBu
Raisi emphasized Iran’s commitment to defending its integrity, sovereignty, and national interests, while also promoting peace and stability in the region. He highlighted Iran’s strength in safeguarding regional security and protecting neighboring countries, warning against any actions that oppose Iran’s interests.
The Iranian president’s warning comes after the IRGC launched missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories in response to Israel’s attack on Iranian diplomatic premises in Syria. Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, announced that Iran has concluded its retaliatory strikes but stands ready to defend the country’s soil and interests against any further provocations.
⚡️BREAKING
Video showing Ramon Airbase in the Negev being hit Iranian ballistic missiles! pic.twitter.com/29QxDW3kEO
Raisi called on supporters of ‘Israel’ to acknowledge Iran’s measured response and refrain from endorsing the occupying regime, which has a history of violating regulations and global standards.
In this picture released by the official website of the Iranian Army on, April 20, 2023, Shahed-136 suicide drones are seen in a military compound in Iran. (AP)
Hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles are reportedly heading toward Israeli-occupied territories, according to Israeli media.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force announced that it targeted Israeli positions in occupied Palestine with dozens of drones and missiles, as part of the retaliatory response to the malicious Israeli crime against the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Described as “unprecedented”, by a Sky News correspondent, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force announced that the operation dubbed “Truthful Promise” was launched in the context of “punishing the criminal Zionist regime.”
The force said that the operation came “in response to the numerous evil crimes of the Zionist regime,” including the attack on the embassy. It said that its forces, supported by other units of the Iranian Armed Forces, launched the “wide-ranging” military operation.
The statement added that the operation was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the backing of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
“Details of this operation will soon draw the attention of the heroic Iranian people and the free peoples of the world,” the statement concluded.
Later the IRGC announced that it targeted Israeli military sites that successfully hit and destroyed their targets.
At least three batches of drones and cruise missiles were launched toward Israeli-occupied territories, with another three batches of ballistic missiles launched toward targets, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent reported.
Concurrently, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah attacked the air and missile defense headquarters in the “Keila” barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan with dozens of Katyusha rockets.
So far, Israeli warning sirens have sounded in central occupied cities and al-Quds, concentrating in the southern part of al-Naqab desert which hosts essential Israeli military infrastructure.
Israeli media outlets captured moments in which swarms of drones and missiles were heading toward their targets in Haifa, Safad, and “Tel Aviv”. Moreover, aerial objects were also seen over the Israeli Knesset in occupied al-Quds.
For the first time since the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip was launched, no Israeli aircraft were recorded flying over the besieged territory.
Supporters of the Resistance went out to celebrate the operation in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, multiple Iranian cities, Baghdad, and the occupied West Bank in Palestine.
Iran’s ballistic missiles impact their Israeli targets
Another video, reportedly from al-Naqab desert, showed multiple objects striking their targets.
IRNA said that an Israeli Air Base in al-Naqab was successfully targeted by the IRGC. The news agency added that the attacking jets launched to attack the embassy took off from the targeted Air Base.
Previous statements made by Iranian officials said that the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy was conducted via US-made F-35 fighter jets. Further investigation reveals that the F-35 fighter jets are stationed at the “Nevatim” Airbase in al-Naqab, due to operational reasons.
Israel media report on incoming swarms of missiles, drones
Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets reported that three swarms of attack drones were launched from Iran toward Israeli-occupied territories on Saturday night.
The spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confirmed that dozens of drones were launched toward occupied territories. He said that Global Positioning Systems were also jammed across Israeli-occupied territories.
“A short while ago, Iran launched unmanned aerial vehicles from its territory towards the territory of the State of Israel,” the spokesperson said.
“The air defense array is on high alert at the same time as the Air Force planes and Navy ships that are on a mission to protect the country’s skies,” the statement continued as the situation develops.
The spokesperson stressed to settlers that “Israel’s air defenses” are not completely tight, asking them to abide by emergency instructions and protocols.
Three swarms of Iranian drones and missiles have reportedly been launched by Iranian forces toward Israeli positions, with the first swarm reportedly launched at around 8:00 pm (al-Quds Time).
On its part, The New York Times, citing US officials, estimated that Iran would try to synchronize the drone attack with faster-moving missiles, which would be launched later, explaining that the slower drones could be used to distract Israeli occupation “defense systems”.
According to a security source, the Israeli occupation government issued instructions that included entering fortified shelters more capable than those set for precision missiles.
Simultaneous drones, missiles attack set to confuse ‘Israel’s’ airborne ‘defense systems’: Bloomberg
A simultaneous attack with drones and missiles may confuse “Israel’s” anti-air system, as they may arrive at different speeds, altitudes, and directions, Bloomberg quoted a US official, who asked not to be identified discussing internal assessments, as saying.
A state of panic and anxiety escalated on the Israeli occupation home front, where strict measures were issued according to occupation security estimates, as Israeli media revealed that all Israeli politicians received orders to stay in “Israel” and cancel their travel abroad.
In this context, Israeli occupation forces spokesperson Hagari announced changes in the home front command that will take effect from 11:00 pm today, Saturday, and will continue until the same hour next Monday.
In detail, the measures, according to the spokesperson, include, “in the Gaza envelope, up to 100 people are allowed to gather in open areas and up to 300 people in built-up areas, and beaches are closed,” while in other settlements, only 30 Israelis are allowed to gather in open areas and 300 in built-up areas, while in other settlements, only 30 Israelis are allowed to gather in open areas and 300 in built-up areas.
Iranian leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, center, visits an exhibition of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps’ aerospace achievements as he is accompanied by the armed forces commanders, in Iran, on November 19, 2023. (Office of Sayyed Ali Khamenei)
Iran has communicated via mediators that the safety of US forces in the region is directly linked to the US’ involvement in Israeli activity against Iran.
Iran sent a message to the White House through mediators, explaining that if the United States gets involved on “Israel’s” side in a possible confrontation, US forces in the region will be attacked, three US officials told Axios.
The possibility of Iranian retaliation against Israeli targets within occupied territories has spurred Israeli authorities to mobilize forces and agencies for the past 11 days, anticipating a large-scale attack or precision attack on strategic assets. “Israel’s” anti-air coverage is nowhere near capable of foiling a large-scale multi-faceted Iranian attack. This means that the US air defense systems in the area will most likely be put on high alert in an attempt to intercept incoming ballistic missiles.
The nature of the response remains largely unknown, with speculation that the attack will match the level of the Israeli crime, rather than escalate confrontations in the region.
According to Axios, the Israeli occupation and the US believe that the attack would include the launch of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and attack drones from Iran to Israeli-occupied territories.
US officials have also said the Biden administration asked “Israel” to notify American officials and to allow the US to have a say before decisions are made about possible Israeli aggression against Iran following the response. Put in the context of the possibility of wider-scale responses to American bases and assets in the region, this message holds significant worth, showing that the US seeks to impose its own pace of engagement in an explosive region.
“The Iranian message was we will attack the forces that attack us, so don’t f**k with us and we won’t f**k with you,” a US official told Axios.
The US maintains that it had nothing to do with the original attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria, which led to the martyrdom of seven Iranian military advisors. However, on a diplomatic level, the US has done everything possible to save “Israel’s” face, failing to condemn the attack on the internationally protected compound.
Amid the public statements by President Biden and other US officials affirming US support for “Israel’s” interception of Iranian attacks, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant of full US support in countering “Israel’s” enemies.
During their conversation, Gallant emphasized to Austin that any direct Iranian attack would necessitate a proportional Israeli response directed at Iran. However, interpreting the Iranian message has posed challenges, with a US official indicating uncertainty about whether Iran’s threats encompass US forces assisting “Israel” in intercepting Iranian missiles or only in the context of supporting Israeli retaliation.
Moreover, the US military has dispatched US CENTCOM commander General Michael “Erik” Kurilla to assist Israelis in defensive strategies. These actions mark, yet again, the US’ unwavering support to the criminal Israeli regime, be it headed by Benjamin Netanyahu or not, and Washington’s disregard for the stability of the “rules-based” international order that it claims to push for.
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.
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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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Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Monday that the Israeli folly of striking the Iranian consulate in Damascus and assassinating the top military advisor General Mohammad Reda Zahedi and his martyred companions pushed the US President Joe Biden to impose certain limits on Netanyahu’s adventure in Gaza.
Sayyed Nasrallah cited Zionist analysts as describing the airstrike on the consulate as a major folly, adding that the Israeli officials may have fallen in the miscalculation that Iran would not respond.
US, ‘Israel’ and the whole world have yielded to the fact that Iran has the right to respond to the Zionist crime and will respond, Hezbollah Chief said.
In this regard, Sayyed Nasrallah explained the nature of the Iranian military role in Syria, confirming that only advisors are deployed in order to carry out certain missions and denying the deployment of troops.
His eminence added that the IRGC military advisors in Syria have been always targeted by the Israeli air raids aimed at expelling them and eradicating their role in that country.
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that all the diplomatic missions in the world include military attaches and advisors, yet that the Israeli enemy tried to promote the false claim of striking Iranian troops in Syria.
One of the Gulf states provided Saddam Hussein with 200 billion dollars to fund his war on Iran, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that, had such an amount of money been granted to the serious resistance groups, ‘Israel’ would not be in existence nowadays.
The need of the popular resistance to face the the Zionist enemy made the IRGC cadres train the fighters, provide consultations, grant the logistical support, and convey the expertise to all the resistance groups, according to Sayyed Nasrallah who confirmed that the IRGC advisors were not tasked with fighting the Israeli enemy in the battlefields.
Even upon the eruption of the crisis in Syria, Iran sent military advisors, not troops, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that only resistance groups in the region decided to support Syria in face of the terrorist groups.
‘Israel’ participated in the war in Syria through supporting the terrorist groups by all means, according to Sayyed Nasrallah who recalled the Zionist financial, medical, and military support to takfiri groups.
Sayyed Nasrallah also denied the false claims that Iran controls the government in Syria, stressing that the IRGC advisors have just supported Syria against the terrorist groups.
Martyr Zahedi
In his twenties, Hajj Zahedi was one of the warriors against Saddam Hussein’s war and gained a great military expertise, which enabled him to be promoted to high ranks, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
Hajj Zahedi became the commander of the IRGC airforce before turning to be the commander of the IRGC ground troops, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the martyr was then promoted to be the commander of all IRGC operations.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that Hajj Zahedi started his jihadi journey when General Qassem Suleimani appointed him as the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria in 1998 for four years.
Hajj Zahedi followed up the liberation in 2000 and the period of preparing the military capabilities to face any Zionist aggression on Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“We expected that the Zionists will take the revenge and wage a war on Lebanon.”
After the martyrdom of Hezbollah military commander Hajj Imad Mughniyeh in 2008, Hajj Zahedi was appointed to be the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria for six years, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
After the martyrdom of Hajj Qassem Suleimani in 2020, Hajj Zahedi was appointed again as the IRGC commander in Lebanon and Syria till he was assassinated, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the modesty, baldness, loyalty, and bravery of Hajj Zahedi, noting that he used to attend the scene amid all conditions.
Sayyed Nasrallah narrated how Hajj Zahedi was committed to the path of martyrdom, adding that the martyr wanted to join the resistance fighters in their border battle against the Israeli enemy since October 7.
Hezbollah Chief said that Hajj Zahedi abandoned all ranks in Iran and came to the jihadi field in Lebanon in order to embrace martyrdom.
Israeli War on Gaza
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah cited Israeli interpretations of the outcomes of the Zionist war on Gaza, stressing they highlight the enemy’s area in this regard.
Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that the Israeli interpretations mention the various failures of the Zionist enemy after six months of the war, including the prisoners issue, missile fire from the Strip, Rafah operation, deaths, evacuation of settlements, diplomatic collapse, economic complication, political and social woes.
Sayyed Nasrallah also cited a survey conducted by Maariv which indicated that 62% of the respondents are not satisfied with the outcomes of the war.
Out of context, Netanyhau claims that he is one step away from the victory, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant alleged that his troops defeated Hamas just hours before the Zionist withdrawal from Khan Younis.
“Gallant is also detached from the realities.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the IOF managed only to commit a genocide and cause a massive destruction and failed to reach any target.
Sayyed Nasrallah maintained that, amid this military failure and the Iranian consulate folly in Syria, Biden held a phone call with Netanyhau to warn him against the continuation of the war on Gaza.
According to the White House statements and the US media, Biden asked Netanyahu to take certain measures pertaining to the killing of the relief workers, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Just hours later, the IOF Chief of Staff sacked two officers and rebuked three others, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that even the aid corridors issue was decided during the phone calls, according to the US reports.
Hezbollah Chief emphasized that the US administration’s conduct proves that it can force the Israelis to stop the war whenever they decide, highlighting the major role of Biden in the ceasefire talks.
Sayyed Nasrallah considered that the Israeli military withdrawal from South Gaza was surprising, adding that the Israelis wanted to avoid making concessions in the ceasefire talks since the withdrawal is one of the basic terms of Hamas in the negotiations.
Hermes-900
Hezbollah leader stressed that, when the Islamic Resistance downed Hermses-450 drone, the enemy bombed Bekaa, adding that the Resistance responded by firing missiles at Golan.
Bekaa-Golan formula has been maintained since then, Sayyed Nasrallah maintained.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that the Islamic Resistance will certainly cross the Israeli red lines amid the Zionist violations, adding that the enemy would understand the deployment of the Resistance defenses on the Southern Front as it wants.
Lebanese Forces and Kataeb
On the anniversary of the civil war in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah asked the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb about the war’s decision making at that time.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that such political always question the resistance about the war decision making and its costs, while they involved Lebanon in a costly civil war.
Sayyed Nasrallah also commented on the kidnap incident in Jbeil city, adding that Lebanese Forces and Kataeb’s reaction is a scandal.
Sayyed Nasrallah maintained that grudge, foolishness and connections with foreign schemes have been behind those parties’ anti-Hezbollah accusations.
Sayyed Nasrallah hailed the role of the Lebanese army and security forces in uncovering the culprits in the crime, which frustrates the scheme of accusing Hezbollah of being behind the kidnap crime and stirring sedition.
Sayyed Nasrallah, finally, warned against the threats sent to some of Jbeil locals after the kidnap incident, asserting that this is a very serious issue.
Imam Khamenei lauded General Zahedi, saying he “had been awaiting martyrdom since the 1360s AH [1980s] when fighting in dangerous battlefields.”
“The martyrs haven’t lost anything and have received their reward,” the Leader said, noting that “the grief of losing them weighs heavily on the Iranian nation, especially those who knew them.” For his part, President Ebrahim Raisi pledged that Monday’s fatal strike will not go unanswered. In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Raisi said the usurping Zionist regime has brazenly violated international law by committing the terrorist crime of attacking the diplomatic building of Iran in Damascus.
Condemning the “inhumane assault in brazen violation of the international regulations”, the Iranian president said the Israeli regime has resorted to blind assassination attacks after successive defeats and failures in the face of the Axis of Resistance.
On the other hand, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at the strike, saying that the Zionist entity goal is to “act everywhere, every day to prevent the force build-up of our enemies.”
Israeli DM Yoav Gallant during a Knesset meeting (April 2, 2024).
“We are in a multi-front war, in the offense and defense. We see evidence of this every day, including in recent days,” he said at a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as quoted by Israeli media.
Hezbollah condemned as “idiotic” the Israeli attack that killed top Iranian generals in the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Syria’s Damascus, stressing that the assassination won’t go unpunished.
In a statement, Hezbollah Media Relations mourned seven IRGC generals and military advisers who were martyred in the Israeli strike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
“As we mourn the dear brother (top IRGC general) Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his companions, we do believe that their virtuous blood will make this front more determined to confront this bloodthirsty enemy which has killed so far tens of thousands of Gaza’s children and women,” the statement, carried by Al-Manar read.
“This crime indicates that the enemy is still on its idiotic path which says the that assassination of leaders would stop the roaring tide of the peoples’ resistance. Certainly, this crime will not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge.”
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, top IRGC general who was martyred on Monday (April 1, 2024).
“On the 21st day of the holy month of Ramadan, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.), the day when the virtuous blood is sacrificed in defense of righteousness, oppressed people and the lofty divine principles… On this day General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Hajirahimi, as well as the dear brothers Hossein Amanollahi, Mahdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sedaqat, Ali Aqababaee, and Ali Salehi Ruzbehani joined the convoy of martyrdom as a result of the Israeli crime which targeted the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.”
Hezbollah laud martyr Zahedi as one of the first supporters who sacrificed theirselves and contributed for long years to developing the performance of the resistance in Lebanon.
The Lebanese resistance group offered deepest condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei and the IRGC leadership, particularly the Quds Force command on martyrdom of the Iranian generals.
US-sponsored Israel assassinated the commander of the IRGC – Al Quds Forces in a bombing that targeted an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital Damascus, the Israeli bombing led to the destruction of the building which also houses Syrian civilian business offices.
The Israeli bombing in the late afternoon follows a heinous Israeli war crime bombing of the Syrian Scientific Research Center in Jamraya in Damascus countryside the day earlier, and a widespread coordinated Israel and Al Qaeda aerial bombing of Aleppo two days ago.
A Syrian military spokesperson said in a statement conveyed by the Syrian news agency SANA:
“At approximately 5 pm today, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. Our air defense forces intercepted the aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them.
The aggression led to the destruction of the entire building and the martyrdom and injury of everyone inside. Work is underway to recover the bodies of the martyrs, treat the wounded, and remove the rubble.”
Local sources reported that ‘the commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria in the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was martyred in the Israeli aggression against Damascus.’
Yesterday Sunday 31st of March evening, at approximately 9:30 pm, the US-sponsored Israel bombed the Scientific Research Center in Jamraya in the western Damascus countryside. To make it understandable to our US readers, this is akin to bombing the Berkeley scientific centers of the University of California, the destruction of which is paid for by the US taxpayers with US-made bombs and fighter jets, facilitated by US spying satellites and capabilities, and protected diplomatically by the ‘democratically’-elected US officials.
it’s a war crime to bomb a diplomatic facility disregarding who is in it at the time of the bombing, diplomatic facilities across the world are protected by international law and the relevant Geneva Convention, Israel bombing the Iranian diplomatic facility gives Iran the right to retaliate in kind anywhere in the world bombing Israeli diplomatic facilities.
It’s a war crime to bomb scientific research centers, Israel’s repeated bombing of Syrian research centers including Syrian research centers for medical and other civilian purposes has given Syria the absolute right to bomb all of Israel’s research centers including those used for medical and civilian purposes at any given time and these Israeli war crimes do not have a statute of limitation.
If Western citizens do not approve of the war crimes sanctioned by their ‘elected’ officials and committed by their armies, their allies, and their proxy terrorist groups, they should immediately hold their ‘elected’ officials accountable before crying when retribution commences. There is absolutely no power that ever existed on the planet throughout the history of mankind that shields the people of evil countries from retribution, and it always comes when they are at their weakest stages.
When prioritizing the destruction of other countries over the welfare and well-being of their own, the US taxpayers need to keep in mind that Karma serves its plates cold and when they are in dire situations, and it never fails.
The people of the countries invaded by the US military to protect its Israel project hold the USA directly responsible for all the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocides committed by Israel.
The Russian role in Israel’s war crimes continues to puzzle the Syrian people, despite the overall support for the Russian people and their fight against neo-Nazism by the vast majority of the Syrians.
The Syrian people cannot help but wonder why Russia insists on supporting Israel directly and indirectly, Russia withheld the deliveries of weaponry including at the time modern Geneva Convention air defense systems to Syria in the year 2010 upon instructions from Israel’s current PM Netanyahu to the Russian President Putin paving the way for the US-led war of terror and later the US-led bombing campaigns of Syria, and Russia has an active military agreement with both Israel and the US to coordinate their aerial movements in Syria’s skies!
Russia, whose top officials including President Putin and his Foreign Minister Lavrov never failed to express their commitment to Isreal’s security at a time when Russia’s only proven real ally throughout its modern history, Syria, is being bombed by Israel, the top Russian officials never fail to remind the Syrian leadership that their help in Syria is limited to combating terrorism.
Israel’s bombing of Syria and the assassination of Iranian officials in Syria will not go unanswered, even if the current Israel genocide of Gaza stops and even if there is a peace treaty signed across the region, very highly unlikely, but even then, there’s a price that will be paid by Israel and its sponsors for the war crimes they have committed and continue to commit on behalf of the Anti-Christ.
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Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, was assassinated in Damascus. (Photo: via social media)
Once again Israel attacked Iranian targets in Syria, in an effort, according to experts, aimed at expanding its war beyond Gaza.
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in the Israeli airstrike on Damascus on Monday, Iranian sources said.
The latest attack destroyed a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing at least seven people, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Iranian media identified the building as the Iranian consulate and the ambassador’s residence.
SYRIAN NEWS AGENCY: An Israeli aggression targeted and destroyed the Iranian consulate building in the Mezzeh neighborhood in Damascus.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 1, 2024
For its part, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency identified Zahedi, a senior commander in the IRGC’s Quds Force, as being among the dead.
His deputy was reportedly killed as well.
According to a Reuters correspondent in Damascus, the consulate was “flattened,” in what was described as “a startling apparent escalation of conflict in the Middle East that would pit Israel against Iran and its allies.”
The attack on the consulate is “a breach of all international conventions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a call to his Syrian counterpart, according to Iranian media. He added that Tehran will hold Israel responsible.
Iran’s ambassador to Syria said the response will be “harsh,” according to Reuters.
The Quds Force is the IRGC’s military intelligence and unconventional operations arm. Zahedi was reportedly in charge of its operations in Syria and Lebanon. Its most famous commander, General Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated in January 2020 by a US drone, while visiting Baghdad, Iraq.
Another Quds Force commander, General Razi Mousavi, was killed in Damascus last December, also by an Israeli airstrike.
“Israel is desperate,” Dr. Ramzy Baroud, a political analyst and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle said. “It is sinking deeper in Gaza, in a war that turned into a genocide against a civlian population, but failed to achieve any military or strategic goals”.
Baroud added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “feeling increasingly trapped. He is still hoping to expand the war so that it would eventually rope in the Biden Administration.”
“Though a regional war would be destructive, it could, per Netanyahu’s calculations, lessen the burden placed on him in fighting an unwinnable war in Gaza,” he added.
“Iran will surely respond, but the response is unlikely to come directly from Tehran, though it will be felt in Tel Aviv.”
Emergency and security personnel gather at the site of strikes which hit a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria’s capital Damascus, on April 1, 2024. (Photo by Maher AL MOUNES / AFP)
The IRGC stresses that the Israeli occupation failed against the strong will of the fighters of the Resistance front in the region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned on Monday evening the Israeli aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, pointing out that the crime came after “Israel’s” irreversible defeats and the resilience of the people of the Gaza Strip.
The IRGC stressed that the Israeli occupation failed against the strong will of the fighters of the Resistance front in the region.
The IRGC mourned the commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and Brigadier General Mohammad-Hadi Haji-Rahimi, as well as IRGC officers Hossein Amanollahi, Seyyed Mehdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sadaghat, Ali Agha Babaei, and Seyyed Ali Salehi Rouzbahani.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 1, 2024
The statement conveyed condolences to Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei for the martyrdom of the senior Iranian military advisors, who were veterans of the Islamic Revolution.
In a related context, Iranians took to the streets to express their rejection of the latest aggression on Damascus.
Thousands staged a protest in Palestine Square in Tehran condemning the aggression, demanding an “immediate response to this heinous crime” and expressing support for the Palestinian people.
"هناك مطالبة شعبية إيرانية عالية جداً بضرورة الانتقام لهذا الاغتيال الإجرامي"
Earlier, Iran’s Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari reiterated that Tehran will continue to stand by Resistance movements and nations that tread this path.
Speaking to Al Mayadeen, Akbari said that “Israel” “is committing acts that contravene humanity” and its attack reflects the “reality of the Zionist entity that does not respect any international norms and laws,” confirming that Iran will not be intimidated by the occupation entity’s violations.
Concluding his statement, the Iranian diplomat warned that the Israeli crimes “must be stopped,” or else, “many [parties] will be affected in this [new] equation.”
Shortly following the attack, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad headed a delegation and visited the Iranian embassy to check on the staff’s safety following the Israeli aggression.
Al-Miqdad: We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack that led to the martyrdom of a number of innocent people
From the embassy, he held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to offer his country’s condolences, unwavering support, and commitment to mutual ties.
During the call, Amir-Abdollahian held “Israel” responsible for the consequences of its crimes and stressed that the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus is “a breach of all international conventions.”
Amir-Abdollahian also expressed gratitude to Mekdad for promptly showing solidarity with his Iranian “brothers” in the embassy in Damascus. “This act sends a powerful message of support, reaffirming that Syria and Iran stand united against Israeli barbarism, which has exceeded all limits.”
On his part, Mekdad expressed to Al Mayadeenstrong condemnation of the “heinous terrorist” Israeli attack, emphasizing Syria’s longstanding position that the “Zionist entity is a symbol of terrorism in the world” and that the “massacres it committed in Gaza” are an indication of its criminal nature.
He also highlighted the strong relations between Syria and Iran.
“We, at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, affirm once again that Israel cannot affect the relationship between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mekdad told our correspondent in Syria, pointing out that the attack on Iranian diplomatic facility is prohibited under international law, which is binding to all United Nations members signatories.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the Israeli attack, deeming it a gross violation of international regulations, especially the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
He stressed that the Israeli aggression should be condemned in the strongest terms by the international community and the United Nations, underlining that necessary action should be taken against the aggressor.
The attack is being investigated, and the responsibility for its consequences lies with the aggressor Zionist regime, Kanaani affirmed.
Stressing Tehran’s right to respond to the aggression, Kanaani said, “Tehran will decide on the type of response and punishment against the aggressor.”
Imad Mughniyeh headed Hezbollah’s military, commanding two of West Asia’s most resounding victories in 2000 and 2006 and inspiring the Resistance’s feared Radwan Force.
An illustration of a collection of photos released by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah of late leader martyr Imad Mughniyeh, also known as Hajj Radwan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Hady Dbouk)
“We are today commemorating the martyrdom of a legend of our time. [We frequently use the] term ‘legend’, bestowing upon various individuals. However, in truth, I do not know anyone, among the general mujahideen who have sacrificed their lives or among the fighters on the resistance front, those who stand on the brink of martyrdom and await it eagerly, I do not know among them a legend like the esteemed martyr Imad Mughniyeh.”
Former Commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force martyr Qassem Soleimani
Sixteen years have passed since the United States and reportedly Israeli intelligence services cowardly assassinated the top Hezbollah leader and strategist martyr Imad Mughniyeh in Syria on the night of February 12, 2008.
Since then, efforts have been made to unveil the obscured facets of the martyr’s personal and impeccable military life. Western media, however, have diligently endeavored to defame the “legend”, depicting him as a clever “terrorist” who outwitted even the world’s most sophisticated espionage organizations that were able to “find, fix, and finish” Mughniyeh after years of pursuit.
The West’s convoluted criteria for evaluating terrorism have resulted in the perplexing conflation of criminals and Nazis being hailed as national heroes, while those fighting for liberation are branded as “terrorists”. It appears that the sole discernible factor shaping an individual’s characterization is their impact on the interests of the US-led world order. Thwarting numerous imperialist plots, Hajj Radwan earned the dubious distinction of being labeled a “terrorist” by the West. This paradox becomes even more glaring when considering the wealth of written and visual material that illuminates the career of West Asia’s most prominent liberators, providing natives with the necessary background to celebrate him for his persistent and effective efforts that elevated his unwavering convictions toward realization.
Therefore, the need arises to translate and deliver to non-Arabic speaking individuals the biographies of West Asia’s greatest, including Imad Mughniyeh.
Below is a detailed narration of Imad Mughniyeh’s life, spanning from his formative years as a young man to the day of his martyrdom. Throughout this journey, he forged an indisputably inspirational legend, crafting a remarkable career of resistance that not only defined his era but also laid the crucial groundwork for those who would follow in his footsteps. Mughniyeh’s enduring legacy and organizational accolades serve as a beacon to the region’s hopes of national liberation, namely Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, bearing his codename in homage to his great career.
Origins (1962-1980)
Imad Mughniyeh was born in Chiyah, the Southern Suburb of Beirut, in 1962, an area neglected by central Lebanese authorities that largely housed working-class Lebanese, as well as Palestinian refugees.
His parents Amina Salameh and Fayez Mughniyeh had two other sons Jihad and Fouad, both of whom were martyred in 1985 and 1994 respectively. Pointing to this fact in particular, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, honored Mughniyeh’s parents for the great sacrifices they offered for the cause of liberation.
Originally from Tayr Debba, a small Lebanese village in the Sour district, the family, like thousands of others, moved to Beirut’s Suburbs, driven by Lebanon’s uneven development, which gave rise to multiple political movements. These movements, aimed to deconstruct systematic economic and representative “oppression”, pairing revolutionary values with the need to resist Israeli occupation forces.
Mughniyeh’s political upbringing (1981-1982)
The Palestinian National Liberation Movement – Fatah, headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, saw the conscription of a substantial number of Lebanese youth, who fought under its ranks against the Israeli occupation and its allies in Lebanon. Mughniyeh is said to have spent a good portion of his youth among the ranks of one of Fatah’s elite units, although he was never a member of Fatah, where he gained essential training and began to develop his military know-how.
The success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, under the leadership of the late Iranian leader Sayyed Ruhollah Khomeini, further ignited Mughniyeh’s revolutionary spirit who had pursued religious studies in Qom. Mughniyeh also headed the security team of the late and renowned Lebanese cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
The late leader met Ayatollah Khomeini twice during his lifetime, the first of which he accompanied Sayyed Fadlallah to the “Conference of the Oppressed.” In the second meeting, in 1981, Mughniyeh, still relatively young, only 19-20 years of age, talked to Sayyed Khomeini for around 30 minutes during which he made decisive decisions that formulated his religious and political convictions.
It is worth noting that these events were taking place in parallel to drastic geopolitical and local changes that led up to the next critical phase of the martyr’s life.
Resisting invading, occupying forces (1982-1985)
Israeli invasion
On June 6, 1982, Israeli occupation forces, under the direction of then-Security Minister and renowned war criminal Ariel Sharon, launched an invasion into southern Lebanon that reached the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with the aim of “squashing” Palestinian and Lebanese Resistance factions.
Mughniyeh, who was visiting Tehran, cut his stay and traveled back to Lebanon, assisting his comrades on several fronts in Khaldeh, Beirut, and the Southern Suburb of Beirut.
As a result, Mughniyeh suffered injuries to his leg during confrontations in the town of Ghobeireh in the Southern Suburb of Beirut. With the eventual withdrawal of the Fatah-led Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Beirut, Mughniyeh worked to utilize a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition left behind by the PLO, transferring the equipment to Resistance cells in South Lebanon.
Following the Israeli invasion, a group named the Islamic Jihad Organization began to conduct operations against Israeli and foreign forces in the country. Reportedly, Mughniyeh and others were part of the faction that claimed responsibility for multiple attacks. During this buffer period, from 1981 to 1985, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah began to crystalize to eventually launch its manifesto on the crucial day of the one-year anniversary of Sheikh Ragheb Harb’s assassination on February 16, 1985, with Hajj Radwan being one of its founders.
Israeli occupation forces conduct a ceremony at the Beirut airport in Lebanon, in September 1982. (AP)
Annihilating enemy HQs
Thinking outside of the box, the young Resistance fighter did not busy himself with direct confrontations with Israeli forces that occupied the second Arab capital, Beirut. Instead, the future leader began to plan tightly knit ambushes, focusing on inflicted damage on Israeli assets and troops behind enemy lines. Mughniyeh’s ambushes included sniper ambushes and the shelling of groupings of Israeli soldiers in South Lebanon. The first substantial operation that Mughniyeh commanded occurred on October 11, 1982, when a huge explosion went off in the headquarters of the Israeli occupation’s military governor in Sour.
11/11 will be remembered as the day that initiated the era of martyrdom operations, in which martyr Ahmad Kassir drove a Mercedes laden with 200 kg of explosives into the headquarters, detonating it upon arrival, killing 76 Israeli officers and soldiers in one go. Hezbollah would announce its responsibility for the attack and the name of the operation’s executor in 1985.
About a year after the martyrdom operation of Ahmad Qassir, another martyr attacked the Israeli intelligence headquarters in Sour. Israeli forces failed to stop the martyr, who turned the building into rubble, killing at least 29 Israeli troops. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, and the attacker’s name was never revealed.
US-led multinational force
In October 1983, then-US President Ronald Reagan’s administration accused Hajj Radwan of planning a bombing on the US embassy in Beirut, the headquarters and barracks of French paratroopers, and the US Marine Corps. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offered a $25 million reward for his capture. Although no evidence of his or Hezbollah’s involvement was produced, Muyghniyeh rose to international prominence and his name became synonymous with the attacks that killed 241 US troops and 58 French paratroopers.
The FBI Forensic Laboratory’s personnel investigating the scene of the attack on the barracks compound said it was the largest non-nuclear blast that they have witnessed. Explosives equivalent to six tons of TNT destroyed the sites in a simultaneous attack conducted by two explosive-laden trucks. The attack marked the largest toll of killed US troops since World War II.
The operations came against the backdrop of a “multinational military coalition,” which included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, established in 1981. However, remarkable acts of Resistance brought the MNF’s plots to a quick end, marked by a series of unilateral withdrawals that concluded in March 1984.
Then-US Vice President George Bush, center, wearing a flak jacket and steel helmet, is briefed at the site of a truck bomb attack on the US Marine barracks, near Beirut airport, Lebanon. At left is Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Paul Kelly and right is Col. Timothy Geraghty, on October 26, 1983. (AP)
Hezbollah to the forefront (1985-1995)
Hajj Radwan played an intrinsic role in forming and propelling the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon -Hezbollah, however, details about the martyr’s personal life remained obscure. His role in the party remained hidden, forming his identity, eloquently described by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as the “man of the shadow.”
Forming the first security cell (1985)
An allegedly CIA and British intelligence-sponsored car bombing on the seven-story residential building and a cinema in Bir al-Abed, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, on March 8, 1985, targeting Sayyed Fadlallah, whom Mughniyeh and his brother had close ties to, further motivated the Hezbollah leader. The bombing led to the martyrdom of 80 people and injury of 256, but Sayyed Fadlallah survived the assassination attempt. Those who planned the attack timed the bomb to go off as the worshippers left Friday Prayers, pointing to the maliciousness of the attackers.
Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, surrounded by his bodyguards, walks up to a mosque in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, for the funeral ceremony of the 80 victims of a car bombing attack blamed on the CIA whose target was Sayyed Fadlallah, on March 9, 1985. (AP)
According to Qaf Center, an organization devout to the “culture of Resistance,” which was established against the backdrop of Mughniyeh’s assassination, the Resistance leader and his comrades, “successfully targeted the entire network of agents associated with the bombing.”
Mughniyeh’s work established Hezbollah’s first security cell, responsible for taking out high-profile figures among enemy lines, including Israeli personnel and high-ranking collaborators.
The security war between Hajj Radwan and the Israelis, later known as the “Brains War”, would continue, marked by the operation of the martyr Abdullah Atwi in Mleeta and the bombing of the Israeli intelligence headquarters in Saida, Qaf’s explanatory cards explain.
The first Intifada (1987)
In parallel to the resounding first Intifada occurring in occupied Palestine, Islamic Resistance fighters under Mughniyeh’s command escalated their operation in confrontation with Israeli occupation forces in Lebanon. The leader conducted and commanded several defining top-tier operations against occupation soldiers.
Assassination of Sayyed al-Musawi, Buenos Aires (1992)
On February 16, 1992, the Israeli occupation assassinated Hezbollah’s leading figure and Secretary-General, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi. The escalation was marked by another from the opposing side, which introduced the short-range Katyusha rockets. At the time, Imad Mughniyeh had been tasked with the role of leading the Resistance’s security apparatus.
Mughniyeh was directly accused of the bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, thousands of kilometers away from Lebanon. This included an operation on March 14, 1992, a few weeks after the assassination of al-Musawi, in which the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed.
A large poster displaying a collage of photos of Hezbollah’s late leaders and martyrs. Imad Mughniyeh, left, Sheik Ragheb Harb, right, and Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, center, during an annual ceremony commemorating the lives of the three leaders on the anniversary of Sheikh Ragheb’s assassination, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on February 16, 2022. (AP)
Katyusha rockets open new horizons (1993)
The Seven-Day War in July 1993, codenamed “Operation Accountability” by the Israeli forces, stands out as a critical moment, representing the widest and most intense Israeli military aggression since 1982. In the face of the enemy’s onslaught, which comprised 1,124 raids in which 28,000 shells were launched at Lebanese territories, Hezbollah demonstrated remarkable resilience.
Mughniyeh, in particular, played a pivotal role in orchestrating the defense strategy, effectively edging the balance toward the defenders. Through the group’s limited capabilities and against the overwhelming superiority of the Israeli war machine, Hezbollah was able to deliver stern responses to Israeli attacks. During this critical period, the leader skillfully employed multiple rocket launchers to impose a new equation. This strategic move not only showcased Hezbollah’s adaptability, under Hajj Radwan’s leadership but also transformed Israeli settlements in northern occupied Palestine into targets of the Resistance’s rockets.
The Dawn of Victory (1996-1999)
The Dawn of Victory against the Israeli occupation began to approach in 1996 with a broad escalation, represented by the Israeli-launched aggressions, codenamed “Grapes of Wrath” against Lebanon. Attempts to liquidate the Resistance had the opposite effects, as Hezbollah not only survived the onslaught but also began to turn the tide against the Israeli occupation.
One operation after the other, the occupation began to withdraw its forces from key areas in Lebanon, marking tangible victories for the Islamic Resistance.
On September 4, 1997, Hezbollah executed an ambush targeting the Israeli occupation’s elite Navy reconnaissance Shayetet Unit, in the Lebanese town of Ansariya located between the cities of Saida and Sour. A month earlier, an Israeli force had infiltrated the town of Kfour and planted a bomb, targeting a Resistance commander. The Shayetet force was expected to do the same in the coastal town of Ansariya, however, Hezbollah’s ambush killed 12 Israeli troops, marking the worst single-day toll in Lebanon since 1985. The Qaf center says the operation and others held the “signature” of Mughinyeh.
Topping off this era of operations was the assassination of Israeli Brigadier General Erez Gerstein, who commanded the Israeli occupation forces Liason Unit in South Lebanon. Gerstein and two other warrant officers were killed on March 2, 1999, after an improvised explosive device laid by Hezbollah fighters was set off between Ibl al-Saqi and Kawkaba.
The operation was conducted within what “Israel” called its “security zone”, to the south of the Litani River, marking yet another victory for Mughniyeh and his comrades.
Liberation of South Lebanon (2000-2006)
“Israel” sought to withdraw from Lebanon quietly as several cracks started to appear in its front, and while it expected its withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon to be quiet and swept under the rug, that could not be further from the truth. They thought there would not be too many deaths — that they would be able to achieve a painless withdrawal — but Hajj Imad and his comrades thought differently. Their ideas became a crushing reality for the Israeli occupation.
Hajj Radwan insisted on humiliating the Zionist occupation, and after no more than 14 hours had passed on the killing of the treacherous Aql Hashem, the top collaborator with “Israel”, the Resistance dealt a serious blow to their ranks, with missile strikes and incursions showering the Israelis and their “Lebanese” collaborators until they were chased out of Lebanon, fleeing the wrath of the Resistance and the swords of liberation. The Israelis were pushed back beyond the border wall drawn up and erected by the colonialist powers.
Two Muslim clerics hold up a Hezbollah flag and an M-16 assault rifle near the “separation fence” in the village of Kfar Kila, South Lebanon, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops and collaborators from the area, on May 24, 2000. (AP)
Give the enemies no break
Not one day passed from January until the Day of Liberation in May without the Resistance irking the Israelis and turning their lives into a living hell, and thus, on May 25, 2000, victory was attained by the righteous rifles of the freed fighters, whose blood demarcates until this day the Lebanese borders, and while not all of Lebanon has been liberated, the plight of the Resistance and that of the oppressed will try day and night to make liberation a reality for not only the Lebanese but the Syrians and the Palestinians as well.
Just as Sayyed Nasrallah said, when commemorating the slain Resistance commander whose life’s purpose was the liberation of all Arab territories from the Western and Western-backed and -installed oppressors, the path Hajj Radwan paved for the Arab and Muslim youth will end in the victory of the righteous, and his actions will reverberate for generations and millennia to come.
“If the blood of Sheikh Ragheb [Harb] forced them off the majority of Lebanese territories, and if the blood of Sayyed Abbas [Moussawi] forced them out of the occupied border area with the exception of the Shebaa farms, the blood of Imar Mughniyeh will uproot them from existence if God wills it.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, February 14, 2008
The operations carried out by the Lebanese Resistance fighters inspired the people of southern Lebanon to go back home, parading their villages once again after they had been usurped by the colonial entity for years. Resistance, in this case, had come full circle: after it was born from the wounds of the people of South Lebanon and used as a tool to confront the occupiers, it, in itself, gave impetus to the people to retake their land in an emotional and inspirational battle that ensured the liberty of not just a few kilometers of Lebanese territory, but that of an entire nation.
As Hajj Imad joined the people of South Lebanon in their return to their homes, his wish had come true, as he got to breathe in the fresh air of occupied Palestine that the Lebanese had been forbidden from for 52 years at that point, and amid his overwhelming sense of joy, he cut off a piece of the barbed wire separating Lebanon from its occupied neighbor whose liberation was within a whisker.
Hezbollah fighters wave their guns and flags toward occupied Palestine next to the “separation fence” in the border town of Kfar Kila, South Lebanon, on May 24, 2000. (AP)
Turning the tide
His lifelong goal and dream of liberating occupied Palestine was just right there, within reach, and none of his sacrifices, losses, and hardships mattered anymore, for he was breathing the beautifully crisp air of occupied Palestine for the first time in his life.
While the liberation of the southern Lebanese territories, with the sole exception of the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Chouba Hills, and al-Ghajar town, was achieved, this historical landmark would be nowhere near the end goal, for Hajj Imad had his eyes set beyond breathing Palestinian air through the unjustly erected border fence; he wanted to roam Palestine and breathe in the air of occupied al-Quds, and the struggle was just getting started.
Hajj Radwan’s career up to this moment signified an all-out comeback of the Resistance, cementing the choice of confrontation rather than impotent political settlements. Hajj Imad and those who trod with him on the path of Resistance suffered multiple letdowns of failing Arab armies and the relocation of the PLO away from Lebanon. However, the sheer persistence and clever execution of top-tier strikes turned the tide of West Asia and put the imperialists and colonialists on the back foot.
Mughniyeh ignited the fire in enemy territory
In the early 2000s, Hajj Imad’s name was reverberating across not only the Israeli occupation but the collective West as a whole, with international intelligence agencies seeking him in connection to the smuggling of rockets to the occupied Gaza Strip; little did they know, not only was he supplying the Resistance with the appropriate weapons to uproot the occupying Israeli regime, he was training Palestinian Resistance fighters in Gaza, forming the nucleus of what would become the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees’ al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, according to Qaf.
A year into Lebanon’s liberation, there were more leads linking the legendary Resistance leader to the Palestinian Resistance and its supply chain of armaments, from the capture of the Santorini ship on May 21 during its fourth mission to the Karine-A ship caught in the Red Sea in May 2002. In both incidents, Israeli authorities pointed their fingers at Hajj Radwan being a main supporter of the Palestinian Resistance and claimed that he was deeply connected to the Fatah Resistance Movement and its leader, Yasser Arafat.
Mughniyeh’s dedication to aiding regional Resistance movements did not stop upon the Israeli withdrawal beyond the “Blue Line”; it was only given impetus, for when he experienced the slightest bit of freedom, he was not going to stop there, digging viciously to reach the end of the tunnel that would see the uprooting of the Israeli regime from occupied Palestine.
Gaza’s liberation (2005)
Mughniyeh’s efforts, namely the training of Palestinian youths and his coordination of the supply of armaments to the Gaza Strip, were heavily disruptive for the Israelis, who could not find a way to dry up the supply of weapons to Gaza, and led the Israeli occupation to start its first phase of withdrawal from Gaza 38 years into its occupation of the Palestinian territory. The steadfast resistance of Palestinians, supported by Mughniyeh and his comrades, forced an armed force, proclaimed as one of the top ranking regionally, to leave with its tail between its legs from a territory that is a mere 365km².
Preparing for what is to come
The great Lebanese Resistance commander, whose compass knew nothing but Palestine, worked around the clock to prepare for the upcoming war, developing unprecedented strategies that put to shame any other guerilla warfare and transforming the essence of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon greatly by nurturing its military and spiritual sides. Most importantly, his efforts led the Resistance to have a missile arsenal like no other, efforts that were built upon for years to come and that wound up putting tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, and even ballistic missiles, in Hezbollah’s possession, rendering it more of an existential threat to the Israeli occupation than it had ever been.
Concurrently, Hajj Radwan was appointed as the military assistant to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The event marked a great transformation in the movement’s organizational structure, as the role of the assistant was previously upheld by three commanders rather than one.
Mughniyeh had mastered the art of war, achieving accolades in every possible sector of military and security work. According to Hezbollah’s Executive Council Deputy Chief, Sheikh Nabil Qawouq, Mughniyeh started to plan for the next stage of confrontation with the Israeli enemy as soon as South Lebanon was liberated in May 2000. Sheikh Qawouq, who accompanied Mughniyeh during the period of Liberation, said that he had told him that a plan to liberate Resistance fighters imprisoned by Israeli forces had already begun to crystalize.
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah revealed that Mughniyeh headed a top-secret mission to train dozens of Hezbollah fighters on the use of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). The project remained a complete secret until the outbreak of the 2006 war, proving essential in the movement’s defensive strategy.
Hajj Imad’s efforts extended far beyond the notion of Resistance as an armed struggle, for his contributions on the cultural and intelligence levels were quintessential to the establishment of Hezbollah as a regional and even international force to be reckoned with. He focused on nurturing and developing human resources in the military, security, cultural, and spiritual aspects. He also developed Hezbollah’s communication network and systems, allowing its communication to be covert and safe from hostile interference, and from that, he focused on reconnaissance and cyberwarfare.
Aiming to break the West’s monopoly on information, especially on security-related issues, he established a specialized unit for monitoring and translating Western and Hebrew scientific security studies, research reports, and media. Mughniyeh closely followed details related to the enemy, its arsenal, and the military status quo, seeking to understand various aspects of the Israeli occupation.
Mughniyeh invested in the victory on the public and media fronts, meeting with numerous top officials and coordinating high-level meetings on the regional level while also encouraging the masses to visit the territories liberated by the Lebanese Resistance in 2000 in order to boost morale and show the people what could be achieved through resistance and armed struggle.
July 12 – August 14, 2006
On July 12, 2006, Hajj Radwan’s plan to attain the release of those remaining in Israeli prisons materialized. After conducting several exercises simulating the event, Hezbollah’s Resistance fighters executed Operation Truthful Promise to a tee, taking [the bodies of] two Israeli soldiers captive to make the exchange.
With news of the successful operation reaching top Israeli officials, then Israeli Prime Minister promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.” Soon after, the Israeli cabinet authorized an aggression on the country until the two Israeli soldiers taken captive were returned.
Mughniyeh commanded Hezbollah’s forces, which fended off the most-ever egregious Israeli aggression on Lebanon. Hezbollah’s ATGM program proved quintessential in Bint Jbeil and Maroun al-Ras, where an extremely small number of fighters pushed back against entire Israeli battalions. The sheer asymmetry between the two sides marked one of history’s most shocking defeats and what was later known as Hezbollah and Lebanon’s Divine Victory.
Mughniyeh, Sayyed Nasrallah, and the Quds Force commander Hajj Qassem Soleimani closely followed all the details of the military operations. Hajj Radwan’s role on the ground included following up with combat and support, accompanying the progress of operations, and determining the timing of “surprises”. He was also responsible for protecting the leadership of Hezbollah, and he was keen on checking on his fellow fighters.
The epic of 2006 was concluded on August 14, later leading to the achievement of the Resistance goals behind the operation.
Liberated prisoner Samir Kantar salutes people as he arrives to pay respect at the grave of Hezbollah military commander martyr Imad Mughniyeh, in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 17, 2008. (AP)
Assassination and Radwan Force (2008)
While his career was shrouded in mystery and his entire biography was unknown, living his life in secret and only being known to the enemy as “Radwan”, and after being chased by over 40 intelligence apparatuses over the course of 25 years, the iconic Resistance mystery figure wound up being known to the public in one of the most heart-aching ways possible; with his 2008 assassination that brought pain and sorrow to those who knew his importance to the Axis of Resistance.
Mughniyeh was assassinated in Damascus’ Kfar Sousa, after holding a meeting with top officials in the Axis of Resistance. A joint Mossad-CIA plot brought the great martyr’s career in the Resistance to an end. In detail, operatives of the intelligence agencies switched out one of his SUV’s tires for an explosive-laden tire, engineered in the United States, which instantly killed Hajj Radwan upon detonation.
“They should hear me well: [Imad Mughniyeh] has left behind for you, tens of thousands of fighters, well-trained and prepared, ready for martyrdom.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, February 14, 2008
While he is still mourned 16 years later, Mughniyeh established the groundwork for Hebzollah’s military and security operations, which have been carried on by his comrades and students. Following the 2006 war on Lebanon, Mughniyeh began to plan for the next step on the path of liberation. His vision involved creating a commando force capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory. Though the force was not fully established before his tragic assassination, Hezbollah’s commanders honored the Resistance leader’s legacy by naming it the “Radwan Force”.
Today, the Radwan Force, encompassing various units, such as armored units, fire-support units, anti-armored units, and a media unit, stands as the embodiment of Mughniyeh’s strategic foresight. Its primary objective is to launch a large-scale operation in al-Jalil, occupied Palestine. Mughniyeh’s codename continues to haunt Israeli officials, occupiers, and settlers, underscoring the lasting impact of his contributions to West Asia’s Resistance movements.
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.
Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, senior political officer and spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarallah movement, explains the objectives behind his movement’s naval blockade of the Red Sea in this interview with The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal. Al-Bukhaiti also responds to military threats from the Biden administration and allegations that Ansarallah is controlled by Iran’s IRGC.
An Israeli attack targets a residential building in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Syrian news agency SANA reported on Saturday that Israeli aggression targeted a residential building in the al-Mazzeh neighborhood in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
In turn, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Damascus said that the aggression led to the complete collapse of the building.
Sources reported that the three-story building in Damascus houses members of the Iranian Revolution’s Guard.
UPDATE: The IRGC announced in a statement that four Iranian military advisors were killed in the Israeli aggression on Damascus. Iranian media reported that Hajj Sadegh Omidzadeh, the IRGC’s intelligence advisor in Syria, and his assistant, were killed in the attack.
The attack, the result of an Israeli strike, targeted a residential building in #Damascus, and the targeted building has completely collapsed according to #AlMayadeen's correspondent.#Syriapic.twitter.com/moZiGr7rX3
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s representative in Syria, Ismail Al-Sindawi said, “All PIJ leaders in Damascus are fine, and the aggression has not affected any of the movement’s offices.”
This footage shows the destruction resulting from the Israeli aggression on a residential building in Damascus, #Syria.#AlMayadeen's correspondent in #Damascus reported that one person was killed and three were injured in the preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on a… pic.twitter.com/OucPAWQ6HX
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 