“The ceasefire on the Lebanese front is a strategic and humiliating defeat for the Zionist regime, which did not even come close to achieving any of its evil goals and ambitions in the war against Hezbollah.”
(Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, Tasnim News Agency 28th November 2024)
Hezbollah and Israel: Who Really Needs a Ceasefire?
Operation “Arrows of the North” was launched by the Israeli Defence Force on the 24th September 2024 and struck more than 1,600 Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley as part of that campaign. The ground offensive began on the 1st October 2024 in an effort to return 60,000 displaced Israeli civilians to their northern homes after a year of relentless Hezbollah missile attacks on civilians.
The State of Israel and the Lebanese Iranian-backed and funded terrorist group Hezbollah signed a ceasefire[1] on the 26th November 2024 that was implemented on the 27th November 2024.
Hezbollah is an important proxy of the Islamic Republic of Iran or was up until 8th October 2023 when they began launching aerial attacks on Israel in support of the terrorist groups from the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Prior to Operation Arrows of the North, in a tit-for-tat exchange Hezbollah began launching unmanned aerial munitions into Israel on the 8th October 2023. Israel retaliated by targeting Hezbollah sites and personnel. The Guardian announced on the 2nd October 2024 that the group had lost nearly 500 fighters since it started launching munitions into Israel in support of its ally, Hamas.
Attacking Israel in support of Hamas, Hezbollah forced approximately 60,000 Israelis to flee south and seek safety from Hezbollah rockets, missiles and drones that were targeting civilian populated areas.
Up until the 27th September 2024 Hezbollah had named 513 members killed during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 88 operatives from other terror groups had also been killed. Israel had lost 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 22 Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers and reservists.
On the 30th November 2024 the IDF said it had confirmed with high confidence that since the conflict began between Hezbollah and Israel the deaths of 2,500 Hezbollah operatives had been reported, though it estimated that number to be closer to 3,500. Around 100 members of other terror groups have also been reported killed in Lebanon. (These numbers vary slightly depending on the open-source cited)
Israel's security cabinet had expanded its war objectives to include the safe return of evacuated residents to their homes in northern Israel, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the 17th September 2024.
Operation “Arrows of the North” was launched on the 1st October 2024 in an effort to return 60,000 displaced Israeli civilians to their northern homes after a year of relentless Hezbollah missile attacks on civilians. Israel announced its ground invasion of south Lebanon in what it described as a “limited raid.”
Between the State of Israel and the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, who really needed the ceasefire?
Hezbollah Analysis
Professor Eliot Cohen a contributing writer at The Atlantic[2] wrote: Over the past year, after suffering a devastating surprise and brutal losses, Israel has achieved remarkable military successes. Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the greatest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, is dead. So, too, are most of his senior subordinates and military commanders. Hamas guerrillas harass Israeli soldiers in Gaza, but what had been an army of tens of thousands—organized into five light infantry brigades and more than two dozen battalions—has been shattered, with half of the fighters dead, by Israeli estimates, and many others wounded or in captivity.
Up north, the successes are no less dramatic. The charismatic and shrewd head of Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is dead. So is his successor. So is Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most important military figure. And so is most of the rest of the high command. Thousands of exploding pagers, walkie-talkies, and laptops have killed or disabled their users in Hezbollah’s army, which was perhaps double the size of Hamas’s.
Most of Hezbollah’s inventory of 150,000 missiles and rockets has been destroyed—more than 80 percent, according to the Israelis—and the group’s ability to coordinate has been so fractured that instead of the feared volleys of 1,000 projectiles a day, it struggles to launch 50 or 100. The area along Israel’s border, in which Israeli soldiers have found stockpiles of anti-tank missiles and other weaponry in many of the houses, has been painstakingly cleared. Here, too, guerrillas are attacking Israel Defence Forces soldiers, but Hezbollah can no longer muster the large, complex military formations that were formerly more numerous, better trained, better equipped, and better led than their Hamas counterparts.
The Israeli high command now sees all of these conflicts as elements of a single, multifront war with Iran. It believes that the preparation for the Hamas attack was intimately tied to Hezbollah, which is, in turn, an Iranian proxy. It believes, moreover, that the purpose of these attacks, over the next few years, was not to inflict damage upon Israel, but to destroy it. “They thought they could conquer Israel,” one sobered general told me. “I had not fully understood that.” A Hezbollah attack would have followed the same pattern as Hamas’s assault—launched along the entire border, from an extensive tunnel system and mustering points concealed within civilian buildings. Had both attacks occurred simultaneously, Israel’s situation might well have been an order of magnitude more dire than it was on October 7.
Israel Actions Against Hezbollah
Since the last conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 both sides decided to prepare for what would be the inevitable next round of fighting between the two. During the 2006 occasion Israel did not fare to well against a well organised terrorist group. Both sides would develop a strategy that when the war came, both would be prepared.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had built Hezbollah into a formidable force with the assistance of experts from Iran turning Hezbollah into a functioning and well organised terrorist army. Israel discovered that Hezbollah recognised the importance of its Command and Control (C2) procedures and their capabilities. The ability to relay orders, coordination between groups in order to have a maximum effect gave the Israelis tactical problems.
A very well organised Hezbollah hierarchal command structure was put into place. The group was equipped with advanced communication tools, intelligence technologies, operational plans, and emergency protocols. Some of Hezbollah’s capabilities were above ground, while others were hidden underground to evade Israeli intelligence and withstand airstrikes.
Major-General (res.) Yossi Baidatz[3] identified Hezbollah’s C2 systems as both a strength and a potential vulnerability in future conflicts. Baidatz believed that intelligence should be focused on prioritizing intelligence collection aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure. This intelligence effort, spanning years, culminated in a comprehensive dossier guarded closely to ensure Nasrallah remained unaware of Israel’s surveillance.
Ant-Work was used to collect and collate intelligence documents which over a long period of time gave the Israelis a platform of how Hezbollah used its C2 network. It was a long process but over a period of numerous years Israel was able to build a picture on how the Hezbollah C2 process worked and who was in the chain.
One IDF Major explained that “An organization like Hezbollah is comparable to a human body,” a combat navigator, explained. “It has a brain—senior commanders—and nerves for communication. Our mission in the C2 division is to disrupt this network. We targeted everything from Nasrallah to mid-level commanders.”
Israeli intelligence services gave birth to the idea of being able to supply Hezbollah with pagers and hand-held radios that would be issued to its commanders. Hezbollah was relying on these measures so that the Israeli’s could not monitor their conversations ensuring that their Communications Security (COMSEC) would not be compromised.
Pager Attack
On the 17th September 2024 Israel initiated a strike against Hezbollah C2. Israel had convinced Hezbollah to purchase and issue pagers that Israel had manufactured. Hand held radios had also been given to leading Hezbollah figures.
The pagers received a message saying that the receiver was going to receive an important message. The recipient held the pager, some with one hand and some with two. No message was transmitted, instead a small explosive device was initiated triggering a small explosion causing immense damage to the individual who was holding it at the time.
With Hezbollah appearing to prefer the use of pagers for internal communications over smartphones for security reasons, analysts said it appeared Israel had corrupted the devices before delivery, allowing them to explode at a specific time.
“For Israel to embed an explosive trigger within the new batch of pagers, they would have likely needed access to the supply chain of these devices.
It was estimated that the pager attack on Hezbollah killed 59 and injured 4,000 including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani. Two hundred of those injured were thought to have been in a critical state.
In early November 2024 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly claimed responsibility for the pager attack for the first time.
Hand Held radio Attack
18th September 2024 a fresh wave of explosions of communications devices, including walkie-talkies, struck Hezbollah, killing 14 and wounding some 450, according to Lebanese health officials. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke about "excellent achievements" by Israel's military and intelligence branches leading to "impressive results," but did not mention the device attacks of the previous two days.
Rocket Arsenal
The IDF estimated that “80% of Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal within a range of up to 40 kilometres’ has been destroyed.” Initially, Hezbollah had around 5,000 medium-range rockets, but fewer than 1,000 remain. The group’s stockpile of over 44,000 short-range rockets has also been reduced, with only about 10,000 still operational.
Most Hezbollah terrorists now launch rockets from vehicles, leading to “less accurate and unsynchronized targeting on a large scale.”
Defence sources estimate that Hezbollah entered the conflict with hundreds of precision-guided missiles and now has fewer than 100, including a limited number of coastal missiles.
The Jerusalem Post reported that The IDF believes Hezbollah’s capacity for daily rocket launches has been severely impacted by sustained Israeli airstrikes over the past 18 months. “This difficulty is due to not only destroyed weapons depots and launch sites but also command and control issues resulting from the loss of fighters and commanders,” defence officials said, adding that “Hezbollah’s reluctance to use cellular devices, pagers, and radios” has further disrupted their operations
Hezbollah Desertions
In October 2024 open-sources (London-based Saudi outlet, Elaph) were revealing that members of the Iranian-backed terrorist group were deserting. Those defecting, according to the source, are not reporting when summoned by senior terrorists and not waiting in their assigned locations. Other terrorists have reportedly fled to Syrian territory with their families, attempting to avoid any confrontation with Israel at close range.
Elaph’s “sources confirmed that the gaps in the units’ ability to communicate … facilitate the process of defection, especially for irregulars,” the paper reported. “The phenomenon of defection is particularly common on the southern front, but it may naturally expand to other areas,” it added.
On the 10th November 2024 the IDF presented data to Israel’s government showing damage to Hezbollah's forces and munitions.
According to the data, over 2,550 Hezbollah terrorists had been killed and more than 5,000 wounded in the conflict. Hezbollah attacks in Israel have killed 110 soldiers and civilians.
Hezbollah Top Officials Killed
This list is based on instances where Israel specifically aimed to kill terrorists, either before they could carry out an attack or as retribution for prior attacks. It does not include those who may have been killed in undisclosed operations. Source of the information provided is the “Israel Counter-Terrorism: Targeted Killing of Terrorists.”
Ibrahim Aqil who was the head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force (A special operation forces unit of Hezbollah. Its main mission is to infiltrate the territory of Israel, with specific attention to Galilee and northern Israel) was killed on the 20th September 2024. The Radwan Force is a special operations unit in Hezbollah’s armed forces, tasked with launching offensive attacks into Israeli territory and capturing civilian communities in the Galilee. Ibrahim Aqil in April 1983, played a major role in Hezbollah’s bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut.
Israel targeted and killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in bombing of Hezbollah HQ on the 27th September 2024; increasingly believing it killed him. Reports of numerous casualties in multiple blasts that shook Lebanese capital Beirut. He was later confirmed dead.
Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, was identified as the potential successor to Nasrallah, he was killed on the 3rd October 2024.
8th January 2024 Wissam Al Tawil senior commander responsible for a local Radwan Brigade was killed.
Hassan Abeid al-Hussein Ismail head of Hezbollah’s drone operations killed on the 9th January 2024.
Ali Hussein Barj Commander of Hezbollah’s drone force was killed on the 9th January 2024.
Ali Muhammas al-Debes and Ibrahim Issa killed on the 15th February 2024. Al-Debes was commander of Hezbollah Radwan Force Issa was his deputy.
Hassan Saleh Hezbollah missile expert killed 22nd February 2024.
Ali Ahmad Hussein a commander in Hezbollah Radwan Force died on the 7th April 2024.
Ismail Yousef Baz and Muhammad Hussein Mustafa Shehour killed on the 16th April 2024. Baz was the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal district. In another strike Shehour was killed being the commander of one of the Radwan rocket and missile units.
Hussain Ibrahim was killed on the 14th May 2024 he was a senior field commander.
Ali Nasser Faran a Hezbollah terrorist killed on the 23rd May 2024. He was responsible for strategic and specialised weapons.
Taleb Abdallah and Hezbollah senior commander killed on the 12th Jun 2024.
Ali al-din a member of Hezbollah’s aeroal forces and behind drone attacks in the north of Israel was killed on the 27th June 2024
Muhammad Nimah Nasser commanded Hezbollah’s Aziz unit, one of the three regional divisions in the south of Lebanon, killed on the 3rd July 2024.
Meitam Mustafa Al Atar a Hezbollah air defence expert killed on the 7th July 2024.
Mustafa Hassan Salman an operative in Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit killed on the 8th July 2024.
Yasser Nimer Qarnabash who was involved in weapons smuggling from Iran through Syria. He was also a former body guard to Hezbollah leader Nasrallah. Killed on the 9th July 2024.
Habib Maatouk Killed on the 18th July 2024. A senior commander in the Radwan force.
Faud Shukr, senior military commander and right-hand man to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hussein Suleiman Member of the Hezbollah rocket and missile unit in southern Lebanon.
Muhammad Najam and Saeed Mahmoud Diad both individuals were part of the southern Lebanon rocket and missile unit. Killed on the 23rd August 2024.
20th September 2024 reported that 10 senior members of Hezbollah were killed when they were meeting in a building in Beirut. Ibrahim Aqil (Head of Hezbollah Radwan force), Samer Abdul-Halim Halawi (commanded the coastal area), Abbas Sami Maslamani (Qana area Hajazi the Ramim Ridge area), Abdullah Abbas Hajazi, Muhammed Ahmad, Hassan Hussein Madi, Hassan Yussof Abad Alssata (responsible for the Radwan force operations), Hussein Ahmad Dahraj (Chief of Staff of the Radwan force) and Ahmed Wahbi (oversaw the military operations of the Radwan). Several others were also killed during the operation.
Ibrahim Qubaisi Commander of Hezbollah’s rocket division was killed on the 24th September 2024.
Mohammed Srur who was responsible for Hezbollah’s drone fleet, cruise missiles and air defences was killed on the 26th September.
Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Karaki, Abbas Nilforushan were killed on the 27th September 2024. Nasrallah was Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Karaki Hezbollah’s southern front commander and Nilforushan was the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Lebanon.
Fatah Sharif Abu al-Amine (responsible for coordinating activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives), Eid Hassan (commander of Hezbollah’s medium-range rocket array), Abdul Raham Abdel Aal (leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ((PFLP) in Lebanon). Killed on the 30th September 2024.
Hashem Safieddine (Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and who was identified as a possible successor to Nasrallah) and Khider al-Shaebia (Al-Shaebia orchestrated the rocket attack on Majdel Shams that killed 12 children and teenagers who were playing football). Killed on the 3rd October 2024.
Suhail Hussein Husseini a member of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, participated in weapon transfers between Hezbollah and Iran and responsible for distributing the advanced weaponry among Hezbollah units. Killed on the 8th October 2024.
Adham Jahout passed information from the Syrian regime officials to Hezbollah. Killed on the 9th October 2024.
Ahmad Moustafa al-Haj Ali commander of the Hezbollah’s Houla Front and Mohammad Ali Hamden who was the commander of Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit in the Meiss El Jabel area.
Hezbollah and Iranian Delusional Propaganda
Interestingly to note how propaganda turns Hezbollah into the victim.
Hezbollah had not formally commented on the ceasefire but senior official Hassan Fadlallah told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV that while it supported the extension of the Lebanese state’s authority, the group would emerge from the war stronger. “Thousands will join the resistance ... Disarming the resistance was an Israeli proposal that fell through.”
Lebanese terror group Hezbollah says it has achieved “victory” over Israel and that its fighters are at the ready after a truce between the two sides took effect.
“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” a statement from the Iran-backed group said, adding that its fighters “will remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks.”
Tehran Times; Israel's dreams shattered: A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has thrown a spotlight on the Tel Aviv regime’s desperation and its inability to accomplish military objectives in the war on Lebanon. Hezbollah has accepted the proposal. But Lebanese and Hezbollah officials rejected Netanyahu’s demand for freedom of action against the movement.
“We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state. Any violation of sovereignty is refused,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told Al Jazeera. (Author: Who started the war against Israel on the 8th October 2023?)
But the Netanyahu regime has not only failed to return the evacuated Israelis to their residences but also Hezbollah has intensified attacks on strategic targets inside Israel.
Tehran Times; Hezbollah emerges victorious, humiliates US and Israel: After two full months of uninterrupted Israeli attacks on civilians and Hezbollah forces, a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon due to the heroism of Hezbollah fighters and the resilience of the Lebanese people.
It is worth noting that the Israeli enemy was the one who initially sent the US envoy to Beirut, requesting negotiations as a result of the resistance’s heroism and legendary steadfastness.
Tehran Times; How Hezbollah stunned the Israeli regime: The Lebanese resistance Hezbollah executed a military strategy to pressure the Israeli regime into ending its bombing campaign against civilians and accept a ceasefire.
Before escalating its military campaign on Lebanon to a full-scale war, Hezbollah had already captured the most sensitive sites in Israel. Hezbollah released a series of videos that only published a tiny fraction of its UAVs capturing reconnaissance footage of sites critical to the survival of the Israeli occupation. These included Haifa and the occupied Golan Heights. The footage of Haifa was taken back in June. Fast forward to mid-October, Haifa came under almost daily Hezbollah attacks targeting different military bases, including Israeli naval bases.
Experts believe that Hezbollah refrained from publishing other sensitive sites in Israel in what became known as the Hodhod series of footage that was released later in stages.
On the ground in Southern Lebanon, the Israeli invasion faced fierce Hezbollah resistance, which prevented the occupation army from taking control of a single village on the Lebanese border.
(According to the Jerusalem Post on the 26th November 2024 IDF troops reached Litani River some 25-30 kilometres inside Lebanon for first time in nearly two decades. Following intelligence information, troops carried out raids on numerous terror infrastructures and weapons that had been stowed in the area)
Tasnim News Agency; Iran Welcomes Truce in Lebanon: The Iranian Foreign Ministry welcomed a halt to the Israeli regime’s onslaught on Lebanon, reaffirming Iran’s resolute support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance. In a statement on Wednesday morning, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei highlighted Iran's longstanding position on the necessity of an immediate halt to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
He detailed Iran's extensive diplomatic efforts over the past 14 months to achieve the goal.
(According to an article in the Washington Post; “Some in Hezbollah Say Iran Failed to Come to Their Aid”: "Support from other members of the resistance axis, including Yemen and Iraq, was minimal at best," said an individual close to Hezbollah and familiar with the group's thinking. He blamed Iran for not providing more support during the war and said Hezbollah had expected other Iran-backed groups to relieve some of the pressure by ramping up their own attacks on Israel. "Tehran was unwilling to escalate the situation," he said)
Tasnim News Agency; Lebanon Truce is a Victory for Hezbollah: Ex-IRGC Quds Force Chief: A former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Quds Force described the ceasefire in Lebanon as a confident declaration of victory for Hezbollah and a dismal defeat for Israel.
Despite the brutal bombardment of Beirut and southern Lebanon, the Israeli regime failed to inflict any substantive damage on Hezbollah during the past two months and could not either penetrate into Lebanon for more than hundreds of meters, a kilometre at most, mainly because of the traps laid by Hezbollah, he added.
Highlighting the Israeli regime’s abject defeat in the ground war, General Vahidi said, “Although the Zionist regime had been hitting the Lebanese residential areas and people with missiles and bombs, it faced Hezbollah’s precise missiles and drones in response that were being launched in considerable amounts and with precision.”
Islamic Students News Agency (ISNA); Iran welcomes end of Tel Aviv's aggression against Lebanon: Baghaei welcomed the news of the cessation of aggression by the Zionist regime against Lebanon on Wednesday, emphasizing the unwavering support of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Lebanese government, people, and Resistance.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently emphasized the need for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon, he said, adding that in the past 14 months, they have engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts to achieve this goal.
He said that the result of the warmongering and crimes committed by the Zionist regime, which has been supported fully by the United States and certain European governments, is the martyrdom of 60,000 innocent people, the wounding of 120,000 individuals, and the displacement of over 3.5 million oppressed people in Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the widespread destruction of vital infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
Israeli losses through Hezbollah according to the Tehran Times: Hezbollah has damaged at least 9,000 buildings and at least 7,000 vehicles. The full extent of the damage caused by Hezbollah has not been revealed. The figures only relate to northern settlements. Hezbollah’s missiles, rockets, and drones have inflicted significant damage to the Israeli industrial city of Haifa, the regime’s commercial hub, Tel Aviv, and other major cities.
Iran propaganda being used to accuse Israel that they are not revealing the true extent of Hezbollah’s 'victory' therefore denying that Hezbollah have lost against Israel. Israel has a free and uncensored press unlike Iran who has a state-controlled media and press outlet which is used by the Tehran government to not show the truth when it is not in favour of Iran and its proxies.
The final word (and there are many more) of Iranian and Hezbollah propaganda comes from the deceased Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah son, Muhammad Mahdi Nasrallah. Quote: "Praise be to Allah, who allowed us – the family of the master of the nation's martyrs – to share [the experience] of these brave, steadfast, and sacrificing people, through the most pure blood, by being displaced from our homes, through our homes that were destroyed, and by staying in Lebanon, from the first day of the war, and until the victory was declared. We say: 'Blessed be Allah, lord of the Universe. Are you pleased [with our sacrifices], oh Lord? Take more until You are pleased. We congratulate you on this precious victory."
Israeli Losses
Between the 1st October and the 27th November 2024, Hezbollah caused significant damage in Israel. They fired 340 missiles and drones, resulting in severe damage in Tel Aviv and wounding 11 people. Additionally, around 5,683 acres of land in Israel were burned.
Here’s a look at the conflict by the numbers:
More than 3,800 people in Lebanon have been killed, many of them civilians. More than 80 Israeli soldiers have been killed, and 47 civilians in Israel.
Damage in Lebanon is estimated at $8.5 billion including at least 100,000 homes. In Israel, around 5,683 acres of land have burned.
An estimated 1.2 million people are displaced in Lebanon and approximately 60,000 in Israel.
Israel has made around 14,000 strikes in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has made more than 2,000 on Israel.
Times of Israel; Over 12,500 targets hit, some 25,000 weapons seized: IDF publishes data of conflict with Hezbollah: Over 12,500 targets hit, some 25,000 weapons seized: IDF publishes data of conflict with Hezbollah
The IDF published a summary of its activities against Hezbollah in the past 14 months, as a ceasefire between Israel and the terror group appears to hold.
Over 12,500 Hezbollah targets were struck, including 1,600 command centres and 1,000 weapons depots, according to the military.
During the ground offensive, 14 IDF brigade-level task forces participated, and separately, over 100 special operations were carried out.
The IDF says it has confirmed with high confidence the deaths of 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, though it estimates that number to be around 3,500.
Among the dead are Hezbollah’s former longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and 13 members of the terror group’s top leadership.
Also among the dead are four Hezbollah commanders at the division level, 24 brigade-level commanders, 27 battalion-level commanders, 63 company-level commanders, and 22 platoon-level commanders.
The IDF says it has captured some 12,000 explosive devices and drones; 13,000 rockets, launchers, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems; and 121,000 pieces of communications equipment and computers.
The Times of Israel reported hours before the ceasefire took place that; IDF says it hit Hezbollah’s largest precision missile production site hours before truce. Military says underground complex that stretched for 1.4 kilometres was terror group’s most strategically significant weapons-making site.
The missile manufacturing plant was built several years ago with Iranian support, the IDF said. It was used by Hezbollah to build precision surface-to-surface missiles and other weapons, as well as to store the guided missiles. The IDF said that Iranian operatives also worked at the facility alongside Hezbollah.
Its proximity to Syria allowed Hezbollah to smuggle into Lebanon thousands of components to build the precision missiles, as well as for operatives to travel between Syria and Lebanon, according to the statement.
“This was Hezbollah’s most strategically significant production facility in Lebanon targeted during the war. The strike was made possible by a precise intelligence file that was collected and built over the years,” the IDF said.
The Question?
Between the State of Israel and the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, who really needed the ceasefire?
 
 
Paul Ashley
 
Further Information:
[1]        Full Lebanon ceasefire agreement revealed
Deal outlines new demarcation dubbed '2024 line,' redefining zones where Hezbollah is barred and where Lebanese army must dismantle unauthorized facilities. While UNIFIL and European nations previously led international military oversight in Lebanon, US now assumes some key commitments.
[2]        The Atlantic
The Atlantic is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
[3]        Major-General (res.) Yossi Baidatz
Former Northern Corps Commander
Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Bachar served as commander of the General Staff Corps. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Commander of the Southern Command and as Commander of the School for Command, Control and Operational Staff of the Land Forces, Commander of the Gaza Division, Commander of the Galilee and Commander of the Paratroopers Brigade.

​The Islamic Republic's retaliatory operation against Israel has officially concluded; however, he warned that any counter-response by the Israeli regime would provoke an even more intense reaction from Tehran.
(Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, Tehran Times, 2nd October 2024)
Iran Launches a Missile Strike at Israel
Introduction
The credibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran and their proxies are now being bought into question. Their inability and lack of response in retaliation against Israel for the death of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on the 31st July 2024 led to humiliation. All the claims of crushing their enemy and bragging on how they were going to strike back led to nothing but noise in an empty vessel. The quietness and their reluctance to strike back regarding the incident led to their shame.
On the 13th April 2024 Iran responded to the attack on its consulate in Damascus which among others killed two high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) figures. Iran’s response was a failure as none of the unmanned aerial weapons reached their target. Iran prides itself on its missile, drone and rocket armoury, its capabilities and ability to attack anywhere with precision. Iran called the operation, “Truthful Promise.”
Israel retaliated on the 19th April 2024, six days after Iran launched its retaliatory attack and was successful in striking one of Iran’s air defence systems not far from one of their prized nuclear locations, Isfahan. Penetrating Iranian air space undetected in order to nullify the weapon. Iran denied the violation but at the same time was made aware of Israel’s capability to respond to any attack by the Islamic Republic.
The Tehran government and the IRGC, realise that a failed or underwhelming attack would further embarrass the regime and weaken its regional standing.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Stand Off Weapons Attack on the State of Israel
On the 1st October 2024 the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a missile strike directly at the State of Israel. The attack was in response for various assassination of Iranians and their proxy allies. The attack consisted of between 180 – 200 ballistic missiles.
Iran claimed that Israel assassinated Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31st July 2024. In its massive airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon, on the 27th September 2024 Israel also assassinated Iranian Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, who acted as Iranian military advisor in Lebanon, and the announcement of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed on the 28th September 2024.
The IRGC declared that about 90 percent of their missiles had hit their designated targets. It added that the IRGC used the hypersonic Fatah missiles in the attacks.
Iran claimed that they had targeted the Israeli Nevtim air base that was the home to Israel’s F-35 fighter aircraft. The IRGC said the F-15 aircraft were used in killing Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian military advisor to Lebanon Brigadier General Abbas Nilforooshan in Beirut and had flown from that airfield.
Even before the dust had settled on the attack Iran was quick to confirm in a statement issued by Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Islamic Republic emphasized that its recent actions against Israel were a justified and measured response to the "terrorist actions" by the Zionist regime.
The mission further cautioned that any retaliatory measures from Israel would be met with a "devastating response." Iran made it clear that continued aggression would escalate the conflict significantly.
Additionally, the statement urged regional countries and supporters of Israel to reconsider their ties with the Zionist regime, warning them to distance themselves from its actions for they too may come under attack.
A senior Iranian official said the order to launch missiles at Israel had been made by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was in a secure location for his own safety. The leader was moved there after the death of the Hezbollah leader as a safety precaution should Israel attempt to assassinate him.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran has exercised its legitimate rights to carry out the Tuesday evening’s retaliatory missile attack against the Israeli targets with the purpose of ensuring regional security, cautioning the enemy to avoid a clash with Iran. The recently elected president went on to say, “a decisive response has been given to the Zionist regime’s acts of aggression in accordance with Iran’s legitimate rights and with the purpose of ensuring peace and security for Iran and the region.”
“This measure was meant to defend the Iranian interests and individuals.” Pezeshkian warned Israel, “This was only a section of our capabilities. Do not start a clash with Iran,”
Ironically the only death in the retaliatory strike against Israel was that of a Palestinian who the Islamic Republic claim to stand for. The sole fatality of the Iranian attack was a Palestinian man in the West Bank city of Jericho who was killed by falling shrapnel. “A Palestinian worker in Jericho was killed when pieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him,” Jericho Governor Hussein Hamayel told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Self-Restraint
The Islamic Republic of Iran put the reason for not engaging in any retaliation since the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on the 31st July 2024 was that they were exercising “restraint.”
In a lengthy press conference with Western media in New York at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, Pezeshkian spelled it out for anyone who had not already noticed the extent to which Iran has exercised restraint in the face of repeated provocation.
“What Israel has done in the region and what Israel tried with the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was to drag us into a regional war,” he said. “We have exercised restraint so far, but we reserve the right to defend ourselves at a specific time and place with specific methods.”
But he added: “We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the region.”
Again, Iran takes the perverse pleasure of making out that everyone in the region is the subject of aggression brought on by Israel, they being the aggressor. Whereas Iran and the others seeking out to be the victim is the most disruptive in West Asia. The ploy being that Iran was using western media and the UNSC as a conduit to claim that they, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthi’s and the PIJ were the victim and Israel as the aggressor.
“Iran is playing its usual mind games,” said Sir John Jenkins, a former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, and consul-general in Jerusalem. “If Israel degrades Hezbollah’s capabilities to the extent that it poses no credible threat to Israel, or if it looks as if that is achievable, then Iran may think again. But it wants to avoid the choice. Hence this blackly comic diplomatic farce.”
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian whilst addressing the UN General Assembly in New York said, “what Israel has done in the region and what Israel tried with the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was to drag us into a regional war,” he said. “We have exercised restraint so far, but we reserve the right to defend ourselves at a specific time and place with specific methods.” But, he added: “We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the region.” The reality was that he was too late for instability and forgot to mention that the real reason for the instability is Iran.
They do not want to be the cause of instability in the Middle East whereas in reality they are already the cause of for instability in the Middle East.
The State of Israel
Even before Israel had finished their Post Attack Recovery (PAR) report on the damage caused by the Iranian missile attack Iran was quick to post, that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) gave details of the operation ‘True Promise 2’, saying 90 percent of the Iranian missiles fired on Tuesday evening (01 Oct 24) had successfully hit the targets, including the “strategic Israeli centres” in the occupied territories.
In a second statement released a few hours after a massive missile strike on the Zionist regime, the IRGC said on Tuesday night that “strategic centres” inside the occupied territories have been targeted by the Iranian homegrown missiles.
It said a number of Israeli air and radar bases and the centres involved in plotting assassination attacks on the leaders of resistance, specifically on Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, Lebanese Hezbollah leader Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the military commanders of Hezbollah, the IRGC and the Islamic Resistance of Palestine have been hit in the operation True Promise 2.
They continued. Despite the fact that the target zone was being protected with a large number of the most advanced air defence systems, 90 percent of the projectiles have successfully hit the targets, the IRGC said, noting that the Zionist regime has been traumatized by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s intelligence and operational dominance.
According to Israeli officials, Iran had launched 181 missiles at Israel. A large number of them had been intercepted. The IDF said there were “isolated” impacts in central Israel and several more impacts in southern Israel. It emphasized that there was no damage to the “competence” of the Israeli Air Force in the attack, and said the IAF’s planes, air defences, and air traffic control were operating normally. Contradicting Iranian claims and propaganda
The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that the attack had failed and that Iran had made a serious mistake and vowed that Iran would pay for it.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, however, said that if Israel retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous.” Same words used in other attacks just a different occasion.
A statement from a group calling itself the Coordination Committee for the Iraqi Resistance also warned Israel against using Iraqi airspace to retaliate against Iran, saying “all American bases and interests in Iraq and the region will be our target.”
The foreign minister of Iran Abbas Araqchi warned third parties to avoid interference in the conflict following Tehran’s missile attack against Israeli targets in revenge for the assassination of resistance leaders and IRGC forces. Third party meaning the United States which has a significant military presence in the area.
Araqchi made it clear that Iran has only exercised its right to legitimate self-defence in conformity with the UN Charter Article 51[1] and has solely targeted the military and security bases of the Zionist regime.
In a secure location the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, Tehran had made a “big mistake tonight” and vowed that “it will pay for it.” The strike on Israel had “failed,” he said, and was “thwarted thanks to Israel’s air defence system, which is the most advanced in the world.” Netanyahu took the opportunity of thanking those who had assisted Israel during the attack. He also called for “the forces of light in the world” to unite against Tehran, the premier urged them to “stand by Israel.” “The choice has never been clearer between tyranny and freedom, between blessing and curse,” he said.
Iran did not give the United States prior notice of its attack on Israel as it had claimed to have done in the previous April 2024 attack, Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said.
The United States condemned the attack. The United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel claiming it was a significant escalation, adding Israel appeared to have defeated the attack without loss of life.
“This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel,” the United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House.
“We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” he said.
After Ismail Haniyeh Death
On the 16th September 2024 Israel announced that it had a new ‘war objective’ and that was to make the border with Lebanon safe for residents to return. Throughout the conflict with Hamas, Israel made it clear that they wanted people to return to their homes and live in safety. Diplomatic efforts failed which led Israel to conduct operations against Hezbollah.
On the 17th September 2024 Israel initiated an attack on Hezbollah by remotely exploding 3000 Hezbollah communication devices, pagers, and the following day remotely detonating explosive in numerous hand-held radio sets.
The Assassination of Hassan Nasrallah was the next big shock to the Iranian regime. Also present was an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Abbas Nilforoushan who was named by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as the “IRGC’s advisor in Lebanon.”
Abbas Nilforoushan was an Iranian brigadier general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who served as the Deputy of Operations for the IRGC.
The Deputy Operations Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces has several key responsibilities, including:
Operational Planning and Execution: Overseeing the planning and execution of military operations. This includes coordinating with various units and ensuring that operations align with strategic objectives.
Training and Readiness: Ensuring that troops are well-trained and ready for deployment. This involves organizing training exercises and drills to maintain high levels of preparedness.
Intelligence and Reconnaissance: Gathering and analysing intelligence to inform on operational decisions. This includes overseeing reconnaissance missions and ensuring that accurate information is available for planning.
Logistics and Support: Managing the logistics and support systems necessary for operations. This includes ensuring that troops have the necessary supplies, equipment, and support to carry out their operations.
Coordination with Other Forces: Working closely with other branches of the IRGC and Iran’s proxies to ensure coordinated efforts in defence and security operations.
These responsibilities are crucial for maintaining the effectiveness and readiness of the IRGC Ground Forces in fulfilling their mission to defend Iran’s revolutionary regime, proxies and national interests.
The presence of such a high-ranking IRGC figure in the same meeting as Hassan Nasrallah the secretary-general of Hezbollah would indicate a high-level of cooperation between the Iran backed terrorist group and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Possibly the Iranian general either directing or advising the Hezbollah leadership on which paths to take against Israel
To Iran the killing of Nilforoushan was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They needed to do something or face humiliation as they had done over the failed and humiliated 13th April 2024 attack on Israel for the deaths of eight of its IRGC officers at Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria.
The Republic of Lebanon
On 1st October 2024, Israel invaded southern Lebanon in an escalation of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict, a spillover of the Israel–Hamas war.
The current incursion into Lebanon by Israel is something that neither said they wanted, but in reality, it is the last-ditch effort by Israel to enable its citizens to move back into their homes in the north of Israel.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati described the situation as “one of the most dangerous phases” in Lebanon’s history, stressing the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
In Lebanon, reactions to the latest escalation were divided. Hezbollah supporters have welcomed the confrontation, while many others oppose being dragged into a war not of their making, or was it?
On the 30th September 2024 in a Reuters report Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikat said the Lebanese government is ready to fully implement a UN resolution that had aimed to end Hezbollah's armed presence south of the Litani River as part of an agreement to stop war with Israel. Why all of a sudden do the Lebanese want to implement the 1701 Resolution? How long would it take to enforce the resolution and how would it be enforced?
Mikat’s sudden request for a ceasefire and an implementation of a resolution was his quick way of stopping a war that would devastate the country even more than it already is with its corrupt politics.
But this would only be half of the resolution as the other half was to have Hezbollah lay down their weapons and disarm which was not likely to happen.
Armed, funded and indoctrinated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah was created to forge ahead with the Islamic Republic’s regional ambitions, expand its influence, and export its ideology which includes the extermination of Israel.
The IRGC official emphasized the importance of this policy, asserting that the elimination of Israel is a longstanding commitment of Iran's Islamic government.
The Quds Force – the arm of the Iranian military responsible for conducting proxy warfare – reasserted its primary mission: the elimination of Israel. The IRGC official emphasized the importance of this policy, asserting that the elimination of Israel is a longstanding commitment of Iran's Islamic government – with the Quds Force having been created by the Supreme Leader in pursuit of that goal.
Yadollah Javani, a high-ranking military figure and political deputy of the IRGC stated, "The policy of the Islamic Republic is the eradication of the existence of the Zionist regime. The Leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) consider this a commitment. The Leader, in continuation of Imam Khomeini, has followed this policy, creating a force called the Quds Force, whose mission is clear.”
Mikati said Lebanon was ready to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and deploy the army south of the river, which lies about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon's southern border.
Lebanon does not and cannot afford to have a war. The Israeli’s know this. The question here is why has it taken 18 years to comply with the United Nations Resolution 1701? Even if a ceasefire was implemented between Hezbollah, Iran and Israel how long would it take to execute the resolution?
It would never happen.
In April 2024 French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné visited Lebanon in an effort to attempt a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Lebanon border. That visit did not produce any results. Hezbollah has been launching missile, drone, and rocket attacks into Israel for many years, with significant escalations during periods of heightened conflict. The most recent surge in attacks began on the 8th October 2023, coinciding with the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Since then, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah plays a significant and multifaceted role in Lebanese politics. Hezbollah has been a fixture in the Lebanese Parliament since 1992, when it first won seats. Over the years, it has maintained a strong presence, often forming alliances with other political parties.
Since 2005, Hezbollah has held cabinet positions, allowing it to influence key government decisions. This participation marked its integration into mainstream Lebanese politics.
Hezbollah operates extensive social services, including hospitals, schools, and welfare organizations, particularly in Shiite-majority areas. This has bolstered its support base and reputation as a "state within a state". Despite being a political party, Hezbollah retains a powerful armed wing. This military capability gives it significant leverage in both domestic and regional politics.
Hezbollah has formed strategic alliances with various political factions in Lebanon, which has helped it maintain influence and navigate the country’s complex sectarian political landscape. Hezbollah’s dual role as both a political and military entity allows it to exert considerable influence in Lebanon, shaping the country’s policies and its stance on regional issues.
On the 15th May 2022 Lebanon held a General Election. Hezbollah and their allies lost their parliamentary majority but still won the Parliament speaker election. They may have lost their majority but Hezbollah still retained a strong presence in the Lebanese parliament making it very difficult to implement UN Resolution 1701.
With diplomacy failing, the lack of implementing the United Nations resolution dating back to 2006, Hezbollah attacks on the north of Israel displacing approximately 60,000 Israelis and a constant barrage of missiles, rockets and drones, in reality the only step left was for Israel to take matters into its own hands after a great deal of patience which it has lost is now forcibly pushing Hezbollah back to the agreed withdrawal line.
The Israeli government does not want to wait for a ceasefire to be put into place and allowing the slow wheels of the Lebanese government to attempt to implement a UN Resolution that should happened years ago. It would never happen because of the influence Hezbollah has in Lebanese politics.
If the Lebanese government did not want a war they should have complied with the United Nations in the past and not leave until Hezbollah had so much influence.
Israel wants to move Hezbollah back now to the Litani River which runs for approximately 110 miles. Much of the river flows from East to West and parallel to the border shared by Lebanon and Israel. By pushing Hezbollah back to the river, it will create a buffer zone between the two which it was designed to do. Unfortunately, Hezbollah does not want to withdrawal back to the river.
The Blue Line is a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. It was published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the purposes of determining whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon. It has been described as "temporary" and "not a border, but a “line of withdrawal”.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
The major Iranian proxy Hezbollah with all its strength and credibility gained over the years is also being looked at for its integrity. Their leader along with many other of the group’s hierarchal command structure have been assassinated by Israel. Yet again high-raking Tehran government and military officials take to the podium declaring that their deaths will not go unpunished.
On the 28th September 2024 it was announced that the Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had been assassinated by Israeli forces It was also thought, at the time that the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Quds Force Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani had also been killed. Later it was believed to be untrue and the commander was, for the time being, safe and well.
In a statement Hezbollah said, the Lebanese resistance movement described Nasrallah as a “sacred martyr”, saying he was killed in a “treacherous Zionist airstrike on the southern suburbs” of Beirut.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei reminded Israel of its past defeats at the hands of Hezbollah, warning that their current aggression in Lebanon will ultimately result in regret. He predicted that the regime’s aggression will only strengthen the Resistance movement.
Ayatollah Khamenei on the 29th September 2024 indicated that Hezbollah would lead the response to the assassination with only support from Iran. “All of the forces in the resistance stand by Hezbollah,” he said. “It will be Hezbollah, at the helm of the resistance forces, that will determine the fate of the region.” “Lebanon will make the aggressor and the evil enemy regretful,” Khamenei also vowed.
Iran stated that they will leave retaliation for the death of their leader to Hezbollah to seek their own revenge, showing that Iran for all its bragging is frightened about what would be inflicted on themselves if they conducted a response. Iran is leaving Hezbollah to struggle on their own as they have done with Hamas and the PIJ. True leadership from the front.
On the 30th September 2024 Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said, Iran will not deploy forces to Lebanon or Gaza to confront Israel. “There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He said and added, “We have not received any request in this regard from any side, on the contrary, we are informed and are sure that they do not need the help of our forces,” Kanani told reporters in Tehran.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf had declared earlier, “We will not hesitate to go to any level in order to help the resistance.” This comment seemingly contradicting Kanani’s.
Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, the IRGC Quds Force commander declared that Iran will stand by Hezbollah in the continuation of Nasrallah's path and school until the conquest of Palestine and the liberation of Holy Quds. Not exactly strong words of support from their puppet master.
The infiltration of the Hezbollah security network by Israel after the initiation of the pager and hand-held radios will have repercussions in all the Iranian-backed terrorist groups.
The Hezbollah leader kept everything to a close-knit group of trusted people and still the Israeli intelligence services knew of his current moves before being buried under a pile of rubble sixty feet below ground after Israeli air-strikes. It is alleged that Nasrallah kept all his movements to a very small circle, but the Israeli knew of his schedules which led to his demise.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Funded Proxies
Iran’s proxies are slowly being made ineffective. Ansarullah (Houthis), are receiving limited supplies from Iran due to the amount of military naval vessels in the area supporting commercial traffic through the Red Sea.
In July2024, Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen fired a long-range drone at Tel Aviv, killing one man and wounding four others. The attack prompted Israel to carry out a major air strike on Houthi military targets near Yemen’s Hodeidah port, killing at least three people and wounding 87.
On the 15th September 2024 the Houthi’s claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Israel. The missile landed near Tel Aviv.
Israel retaliated against the group on the 29th September 2024 launching a retaliatory operation against the Iranian-backed terrorist group. The Houthi’s had launched an attack targeting the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane which had just landed at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Prime Minster was returning from addressing the United Nations General Assembly explaining why Israel was in conflict and putting the record straight regarding their war in the Region and Iran’s role in that fight.
Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global shipping freedom of navigation. In September 2024 the Jerusalem Post wrote that the Houthis had recently established an office in Baghdad. The Houthis and Iraq Iranian-backed proxies use the term, joint military operation with the Islamic resistance of Iraq when describing some of their operations.
The Iraqi militias used by Iran are not as strong as other Iranian-backed militia groups operating in the Middle East. But often declare that they and the Houthis are conducting operations together against Israel. Mounted operations by Iraqi proxy groups? Yes. Effective? No.
This may change in the future depending on how much the Israeli’s demolish Hezbollah terrorist group. Iran already has a huge influence in Iraq. Sixty percent of the population is Shia Muslim and control the southern part of Iraq. Iran has also made in roads in the Iraqi political arena and also has a large standing with parts of the Iraqi military.
The Israelis are not going to stop with just inflicting pain on Iranian proxies, they aim to destroy them for good. The question is when they have been rendered ineffective what will Iran do to continue its revolutionary ideology of destroying Israel and domination of West Asia which includes the Middle East?
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Nations
Iran will always make out that they and their proxies are the victims of any attack on them. Even when it comes to the United Nations Iran will make demands to those in attendance that everyone else is wrong and they are right. Iran claims that it was Israel that attacked Hamas in the Gaza Strip on the 7th October 2023 and that Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups are the victims. Portraying the Iranian’s and their proxies as victim and aggressor at the same time.
On the 29th September 2024 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi expressed frustration at the UN Security Council’s failure to address the ongoing crises in the West Asia, particularly following the recent assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah. Nasrallah described Israel as a "malign, rootless, artificial and unstable" regime that is barely kept alive with American support, and God willing its life will not last long.”
Araqchi expressed his condolences over the loss of “the great Resistance commander.” He emphasized that Nasrallah's sacrifice would only serve to strengthen Hezbollah’s resolve. “While this martyrdom is indeed a significant loss, it will not undermine our resilience,” he stated.
The foreign minister highlighted that Israel's recent military actions in Gaza and Lebanon indicate that the Zionist regime has no future in the region and will remain in a state of perpetual conflict. “The natural outcome of these actions is the acceleration of the Zionist regime’s demise,” he added firmly.
Iran always uses the platform of the UN assembly to attempt a carrot and stick approach in an effort to advance and expand their revolutionary ideology. Should the UN not take their side to condemn and act against Israel then further turmoil will occur in the Middle East making the situation much worse. But if you do as Iran states then there will be no turmoil. Legally its known as blackmail.
Iran uses this to claim that its proxies are the victims of the Israeli war. Whereas in reality it is they who have attacked Israel and have done so for decades with the assistance and goading of those in power sitting in the Tehran government.
In a series of separate meetings with Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Volkan Bozkir, the President of the UN General Assembly, Abbas Araqchi,, raised alarms about the serious repercussions of the recent aggressive actions by the Israeli regime in Lebanon. He also warned of serious repercussions of Israeli aggression for regional peace. Carrot and stick, blackmail.
Hassan Nasrallah Successor
The potential successor to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Hashem Safieddine, had been out of contact since the 4th October 2024 a Lebanese security source said on the 5th October, after an Israeli airstrike that was reported to have targeted him in Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.
Israel carried out a large strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs late on the 3rd October that the American Axios news outlet cited three Israeli officials as saying targeted Hashem Safieddine in an underground bunker.
Worrying for Iran was the belief that Iran’s IRGC-Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, who travelled to Lebanon after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike, had not been heard from since strikes on Beirut, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. The last commander of the IRGC-Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, was killed at Baghdad International airport on the 3rd January 2020. Qaani was Soleimani’s replacement
On the 8th October 2024 Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that it appears that the replacement of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been eliminated referring to Hashem Safieddine. No further details were given by the Israels nor by Hezbollah.
Brigadier-General Esmail Qaani
Iran’s Quds Force leader, Brigadier-General Esmail Qaani was in Lebanon after the death of Nasrallah and it appeared he had gone missing since last seen in Hezbollah's Tehran offices. Qaani had travelled to Lebanon after the killing of Nasrallah, and the Iranian authorities had not been able to contact him since the strike against Safieddine, who was widely expected to be the next Hezbollah chief. Hezbollah had made no comment on Safieddine.
A strike by Israeli forces on the 3rd October 2024 was thought to have targeted Nasrallah’s replacement, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine the man widely regarded as the heir of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah’s intelligence chief, Hussein Hazimah, was also at the bunker at the time of the strike. Safieddine had been out of contact since the 4th October.
Deputy commander Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi said the top commander of Iran’s Quds Force said through state media, Esmail Qaani, is in “good health.” He also said that Qaani was not meeting Safieddine. However, according to a NYT report, citing three Iranian sources, Qaani had travelled to Beirut to convene with Hezbollah officials amid the Israeli strikes on the terror organization. An IRGC member said, according to the NYT report, that Iranian officials' muteness on the subject was spreading panic among the IRGC members.
The Iranian brigadier-general may have been wounded in the Israeli strike that targeted Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine, in southern Beirut.
Later, on the 6th October Army Radio reported, citing local Iranian reports, that Qaani would conduct an interview later in the day. Nevertheless, The Jerusalem Post who was carrying the story was unable to later find any such interview.
It is more than possible that Qaani and Safieddine were in the same location which was targeted by Israel. There are coincidences. Both were known to have been together before the raid, neither have been heard from since the attack. The two officials have not been seen since the attack. Hezbollah has remained tight-lipped about the whereabouts of their possible successor and his health. Qaani had “sent a message” which could not be verified and in all honesty could have been sent by anyone.
If Israel had successfully targeted and struck at the location the two were at it would mean a great deal of bad luck had hit both parties. The presumed successor of Hezbollah along with the head of the IRGC-QF would be a huge blow. Two top officials assassinated leaving a huge hole in the leadership of the Quds Force and Hezbollah wondering where to go next. Israeli intelligence had infiltrated at a very high level which would cause confusion and mistrust.
Brigadier General Qaani sent a message to the 7th International Conference on Solidarity with the Palestinian Children on the 7th October. The host of the conference read out a message from Brigadier General Qaani, in which he conveyed his warmest greetings to all participants and apologized for not being able to attend the conference due to his participation in another important session.
Brigadier-General Esmail Qaani was eventually ended speculation about his health by showing up at the Mehrabad Airport of Tehran early on the 15th October 2024 at a ceremony held to receive the body of senior IRGC commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforooshan. The senior Revolutionary Guards commander was killed in Lebanon along with the Hezbollah leader Nasrallah.
The Iranian Stance
In the Tehran Times Islamic Revolution Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, commented on the events transpiring in Palestine and Lebanon, stating Resistance fighters will emerge victorious in the fight against the Zionist regime. “Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is standing up for Gaza and enduring these bitter events, is engaging in fighting on the path of God.”
“In this battle, the infidel and evil enemy is equipped with the best resources. The U.S. is behind them. The Americans claim that they are not involved and are unaware of things, which is false. Not only are they aware and involved, they also require the victory of the Zionist regime.”
“The equipment and resources of the believers and the Mujahideen are a fraction of what the opposite side possesses. Nevertheless, victory lies with those who fight in the path of God, namely the Palestinian Resistance and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian on the 2nd October 2024 said that Iran was not looking for war but emphasised, “What we want from US and European countries is to tell the entity they have planted in the region (Israel) to stop the bloodshed.” The president making out that anyone outside Iran and their allies that they are the victims of the war.
Iran announced on the 2nd October 24 in the Tasnim News Agency reported that Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri who said the missile attack launched against Israel, which targeted three of the regime’s main military and espionage bases, served as a response to many of the Zionists’ crimes.
“After Martyr Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran went through a tough period of self-restraint amid repeated requests by the Americans and Europeans, who would ask us to exercise self-restraint so they would establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip (where the Israeli regime has been waging a genocidal war),” Major General Bagheri said. “However, after Seyed Hassan Nasrallah’s and (Brigadier) General (Abbas) Nilforoushan’s martyrdom, the situation was no longer tolerable,” he added.
The targets also featured the regime’s strategic radars, the centres housing the regime’s tanks and personnel carriers, and the centre accommodating those of the regime’s forces that partake in massacres against Palestinians in Gaza.
The military chief added, “If the Zionist regime, which has reached madness, was not controlled by the United States and Europe, and sought to either continue its atrocities or take action against our territorial integrity and sovereignty, tonight’s operation would be repeated with multiple magnitude and all of their infrastructures would be struck.”
The foreign minister of Iran warned third parties to avoid interference in the conflict following Tehran’s missile attack against Israeli targets in revenge for the assassination of resistance leaders and IRGC forces. Abbas Araqchi held telephone conversations with his counterparts from the UK, France, the Netherlands and a number of other countries on Tuesday night to discuss the situation following a massive missile attack that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched against Israeli military targets earlier in the day.
The foreign minister Araqchi, said Iran showed self-restraint for over two months after the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the continuation of the war on Gaza and Lebanon
Iran’s continuous rhetoric regarding any retaliation by Israel will be met by a harsher response gives the impression that Iran is frightened. It’s scared of what Israel and/or the United States will do in regards to the previous missile attack on Israel. Israel has already shown that it will not be deterred by Iran to any retaliation and that is why Iran is frightened. The world, the supporters of the Tehran government and Muslims (which Iran constantly attempts to turn against Israel and the United States) know that Iran’s direct attacks on Israel have failed, miserably.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran had told Gulf states it would be “unacceptable” if they allowed their airspace to be used against Iran and any such move would draw a response. “Iran made it clear that any action by a Persian Gulf country against Tehran, whether through the use of airspace or military bases, will be regarded by Tehran as an action taken by the entire group, and Tehran will respond accordingly,” the senior Iranian official told Reuters. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia all host US military facilities or troops.
In a clear message to Israel they stated,  “Israel, the first strike is yours, the last strike is ours.”
The State of Israel and their Response
Israel and the United States claimed that there will be a timed response to the attack that occurred on the 1st October. Suggested targets that were announced through the press were the Iranian oil infrastructure and Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran had conveyed a message through European intermediaries to Israel regarding the awaited Israeli response that “the Iranian communication, primarily addressed to Israel in an indirect manner, indicates that Tehran would be prepared to overlook a limited Israeli strike and refrain from retaliation, despite the implied threat.” Iran was scared.
Iran’s government was reportedly highly nervous, engaging in urgent diplomatic efforts with Middle Eastern countries to assess whether they can limit the scope of Israel’s potential response to its missile attack earlier this month, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by CNN.
Even if Israel and the United States did listen and complied with the Iranian request, the Iranians would claim a great triumph against both of their enemies in the propaganda war. Iran would state that they had won a great victory and Iran had given a domineering response which Israel and the United States could not match.
On the 13th October 2024 a report in the Times of Israel and citing the New York Times stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran was more than aware of the savage and brutal attack on Israel on the 7th October 2023. The report said that there had been a series of meetings leading up to the attack between Hamas’s military and political leaders over the course of two years and with Hezbollah and Iran.
The New York Times detailed the minutes of 10 meetings spanning from January 2022 until August 2023. The Times said that it had verified the authenticity of the documents and had separately obtained an internal report by the Israel Defence Forces that did the same. The contents of additional meetings and messages, mostly focused on Iran’s involvement in planning and funding the attack.
While it was not always clear which officials had attended which meetings, The Times found that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was present at each one, while now-dead top officials Muhammed Deif and Marwan Issa attended at least several of them, as did Muhammad Sinwar, Yahya’s brother.
The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, were involved in the revelation. The Post said it had obtained letters written by Sinwar to Iranian officials in which he requested financial and military assistance for a large-scale assault on Israel. “We promise you that we will not waste a minute or a penny unless it takes us toward achieving this sacred goal,” Sinwar was said to write in a letter dated June 2021.
His request appeared to have been granted, as The Wall Street Journal said it had obtained a letter in which an Iranian official confirmed the allocation of $10 million for Hamas’s armed wing. Sinwar later asked for an additional $500 million, which he said could be delivered over the course of two years, with $20 million being transferred per month. Following the meeting in January 2022, the “big project” was discussed at length in later meetings of Hamas’s Gaza leadership in April and June of that year.
The retaliation for the attack by Iran using their stand-off weapons on the 1st October would also be an opportunity for Israel to strike at the financers who backed the 7th October 2023 attack on Israel where Hamas, the PIJ and others struck Israel.
Conclusion
Three of the major proxies who have vowed to eliminate Israel are now under attack by Israel, the very country that they have vowed to destroy. The world constantly urges restraint by Israel who are not the original aggressors. Iran and its proxies are the ones that are escalating events in the Middle East. Iran has now brought in the United States which is something that Iran did not want.
Israel does not simply want to incapacitate the Iranian proxies they want to destroy them, for good. The daily and constant sounds of sirens over the past many years of Iranian-backed proxies launching of drones, missiles and rockets at civilian targets in Israel has to stop somewhere. It may as well be now. Who would want to live under those daily bombardments? In reality, no one.
Iran stating that they had shown self-restraint is a lie from the government of Tehran. After all the assassinations of their allies and their IRGC officers they had to make a stand and show their followers and supporters that they are up to the task of fighting their enemies. That is why they eventually attacked Israel on the 1st October 2024.
If the Lebanese government has any sense, they will see this war of Israel against Hezbollah as a chance to stop the Iranian-backed influence of Hezbollah in Lebanese politics.
As for future targets against Iran from the United States and Israel, once the two governments have everything in place to attack Iran, then it will take place. Press speculation is that targets will consist of energy and military locations. It is doubtful that Iranian nuclear facilities will be targeted as these will be saved for a later date should Iran make a bid at achieving breakout, a term used when a country attempts to build a nuclear device or weapon. Both Israel and the United States have sworn that Iran will never have a nuclear device.
The last word goes to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was quoted in the Times of Israel on the 30th September 2024. The PM issued a rare direct message to the Iranian people saying Israel “stands with you,” as it aggressively fights the Islamic Republic’s proxies across the region in response to their attacks on the Jewish state.
“Every day, you see a regime that subjugates you make fiery speeches about defending Lebanon, defending Gaza. Yet every day, that regime plunges our region deeper into darkness and deeper into war,” the premier said in an English-language video statement, which was also disseminated with Persian subtitles.
Saying Iran’s “puppets” were being eliminated, Netanyahu added there was “nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people.
“With every passing moment, the regime is bringing you — the noble Persian people — closer to the abyss,” he said. “The vast majority of Iranians know their regime doesn’t care a whit about them. If it did care, if it cared about you, it would stop wasting billions of dollars on futile wars across the Middle East. It would start improving your lives."
“When Iran is finally free — and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think – everything will be different,” he asserted. “Our two ancient peoples, the Jewish people and the Persian people, will finally be at peace. Our two countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace."
 
 
Paul Ashley
 
Further Information
[1]        UN Charter Article 51.
Chapter VII — Action with respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression
https://legal.un.org/repertory/art51.shtml
 
 
 
 
 

​“The secret of war lies in the communications.”
(Napoleon Bonaparte)
Pagers and Radios, Hezbollah, The Islamic Republic of Iran and The State of Israel
 
Introduction
The communication system of Iran-backed Hezbollah suffered a huge setback for the terrorist organisation when numerous pagers and hand-held communication systems used by the group exploded causing deaths and numerous casualties.
On the 17th September 2024 pagers used by the group exploded. The Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had some time ago declared the group not to use of mobile phones for fear of being tracked and had resorted to pagers in order to communicate with the group. Pagers although limited in use could still receive data or a message to contact another member of the group. This would be effective against anyone attempting to find the location of an individual or any other compromising information.
Previously the Hezbollah leader Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah had ordered his followers to lock their mobile phones into an iron box. He was paranoid that Israeli secret services would be able to track his followers. The next best method were pagers.
Mossad, the national intelligence agency of the State of Israel has a history of planning elaborate assassinations. Some have been up close and personal while some have been through bombs and missile strikes on targeted individuals, while others have been a little more sophisticated. The first case of using a communications device to target and kill an enemy was on the 6th January 1996. Yahya Ayyash (the Engineer) a Hamas bomb maker had his head blown off by cell phone bomb responding to a call from his father.
Background Prior to the Communications Attack
The Blue Line
The Blue Line serves as a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. It was established by the United Nations on the 7th June 2000, with the purpose of determining whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon after its occupation. The Blue Line is not a formal border but rather a “line of withdrawal.” It remains the subject of an ongoing border dispute involving Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah1. The conflict over this line has historical roots and geopolitical implications, making it a significant point of contention in the region.
Hezbollah Disarm
Hezbollah was required to disarm after the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War by United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. This resolution aimed to maintain peace along the Israel-Lebanon border, known as the Blue Line. However, Hezbollah has not fully disarmed, asserting that it will do so only when Israel is no longer a threat to Lebanon and when Palestinians achieve freedom. The Iran-backed terrorist proscribed group rebranded its military wing as an “Islamic Resistance Force” dedicated to the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories thus allowing it to retain its arsenal.
Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute said UN Resolution 1701, which was intended to resolve the 2006 conflict, bars Israel from conducting military operations in Lebanon, but Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of violating the resolution by smuggling arms into southern Lebanon. “Hezbollah is the first line for deterrence and defence for the Iranian regime and its nuclear program should Israel decide to strike Iran, and it is not going to waste that to try and save Hamas.”
Hezbollah was supposed to pull back from the Lebanon-Israel border by a distance of between five and ten kilometres. This measure aimed to reduce tensions and prevent further escalation in the region
Recent Border Disputes Between the State of Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah
On the 1st July 2023 there was a stand-off on the Israeli/Hezbollah border. Hezbollah was refusing Israeli demands that it dismantles an outpost set up in the disputed hills of Kfarshouba on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
Israeli news sites recently claimed that “Israel is preparing to forcibly remove military points established by Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon.”
MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, said that “the time has passed when the Israelis bombed Osirak nuclear reactor (Operation Opera also known as Operation Babylon an Israeli airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on the 7th June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located 17 kilometres (11 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq) without batting an eyelid. “Now the Israelis cannot remove two tents because there is strong resistance, strong men, and believers in this country.” In a remark directed at Israel, Raad said: “If you do not want a war, then be quiet.” He added: “Neither you nor anyone else can demand that the resistance removes what belongs to Lebanon.”
The 9th July 2023, Israel stated that Hezbollah had set up more than two dozen military outposts along the countries’ border in violation of international agreements, a development it says risks increasing confrontation.
United Nations Security Council resolution following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, armed fighters from Hezbollah are not permitted to enter the border area. Troops from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon — or UNIFIL — are stationed there to make sure both sides keep to the rules. Yet in the past year, Israeli military officials say, those outposts have sprung up along the Blue Line. Israeli officials have said that Hezbollah fighters have long entered the area disguised as civilians, some now wear uniforms and openly carry weapons.
The United Nations operating in the country and along the Blue Line are powerless to enforce any form of authority and have on occasions been attacked by Hezbollah forces.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on the 28th December 2023 that they urged Lebanese authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into an assault on one of its peacekeepers in the southern Lebanese village of Taybeh. The incident, reported by UNIFIL on social media platform X, occurred during a patrol when a group of young men attacked the peacekeeper, resulting in injury. The small village is in the Baalbek district an operational area which is controlled by Hezbollah.
In a statement, UNIFIL emphasized the severity of the situation, calling for swift justice against all involved in the attack. The organization highlighted that such assaults on peacekeepers not only defy UN Resolution 1701 but also violate Lebanese law. This incident is part of a troubling pattern of hostility toward UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Despite these challenges, UNIFIL affirmed its commitment to maintaining its operations in the region. The statement underscored the importance of peacekeepers’ freedom of movement, which is essential for upholding security and stability along the Blue Line.
United Nations observers were attacked again in March 2024. A translator and UN soldiers were wounded when a shell exploded near them as they were carrying out a foot patrol in south Lebanon. One of the observers was a Norwegian citizen, who was slightly injured, the Nordic country’s defence ministry reported. Lebanon’s National News Agency said the other two wounded observers were Chilean and Australian.
Requests for comment from Hezbollah and the Lebanese Armed Forces went unanswered.
On the 8th October 2023 the day after Hamas and other terrorist organisations massacred hundreds of Israeli’s and took illegal hostages Hezbollah, the armed party backed by Iran, said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people. Israeli residents of the areas parallel to the Blue Line, which is 85 km long, were forced to leave their homes and move to safer areas.
The Shebaa Farms, also spelled Sheba'a Farms, also known as Mount Dov, is a strip of land on the Lebanese–Syrian border and currently occupied by Israel. Lebanon claims the Shebaa farms as its own territory, and Syria, not surprisingly, agrees with this position.
The Islamic Republic of Iran decided to step in by claiming that the Israeli regime was exploring new measures in a desperate attempt to distract the world from its bloodbath against children in Gaza and lower the rising international pressure to cease the war. The Tehran Times claimed since the 8th October, one day after Hamas staged Operation al-Aqsa Storm, the Hezbollah resistance movement and the Israeli military had been exchanging fire on a daily basis across the Blue Line.
Randa Slim, Senior Fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute said Hezbollah’s two objectives, as stated by Nasrallah (Hassan Nasrallah), will be to put pressure on Israel to stop the war and to assist people in Gaza by forcing Israel to divert some of its resources to the northern border.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said on the 5th January 2024 that his group’s attacks were an “opportunity” for “Lebanon… to liberate every inch of our Lebanese land” along thirteen points of contention on the Blue Line, “from point B1 in Naqoura to Ghajar, to the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba Hills.”
On the 20th September 2024 Fouad Siniora the former Prime Minister of Lebanon  claimed that the State of Israel was trying to drag Lebanon and the entire region into a full scale war.
The Lebanese are inadequate to do anything about Hezbollah in case another civil war (1975 -1990) breaks out. The former Lebanese PM really needs to look inward rather than outward. Because of the Lebanese own inadequacies to control Hezbollah operating openly and failing to comply with United Nations resolutions, the Iranian-backed group are able to do as they please. This is the wider threat to the country.
A country where all decisions are made by sectarian consensus and where Hezbollah is the most sizable representative of the Shias—likely Lebanon’s largest single demographic—any restraining mechanism on Hezbollah would require the group’s approval. Hezbollah would unlikely approve any arrangement that would see it restrained, let alone distanced from the Israeli border or disarmed.
Preparation?
Israel for its part have said on numerous occasions since the evacuation of its citizens that it wants its people to return to their homes in the north and will give talks a chance. But if no resolution was to be found to the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 whereby Hezbollah failed to comply, then they would use force to push Hezbollah back and allow those Israelis who live in the north to do so in safety.
Hezbollah on the 8th October 2023 openly came out in support of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group and increased the frequency of missiles and rockets into the north of Israel. Over 60,000 Israeli’s were evacuated from the area and have been displaced since.
The United States issued a travel warning on the 21st September 2024 urging Americans to leave Lebanon as Israel-Hezbollah border attacks intensifies. A number of other countries followed suit.
France on the 12th February 2024 delivered a written proposal to Beirut with the aim of halting hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. The document requested that Hezbollah fighters’ withdrawal 10km away from the border.
According to Reuters, who stated that the document, the first written proposal brought to Beirut during weeks of Western mediation, was delivered to top Lebanese state officials including Prime Minister Najib Mikati by French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and four senior Lebanese.
Hezbollah rejected formally negotiating a de-escalation until the war in Gaza ends, a position reiterated by a Hezbollah politician in response to questions told Reuters. Obviously, the Iran-backed Hezbollah had other ideas and have continued their barrage of rockets, drones and missiles on Israel.
Why Were the Hezbollah Pagers Detonated?
There are currently several trains of thought regarding why Israel triggered over three thousand Hezbollah pagers.
The first is that there was a possibility that someone in Hezbollah had stumbled on the plot that explosives had been placed in the communication pager. Axios, an American news website said, that Israel had planned to use the exploding pagers as an opening blow in an all-out war against the terror group, but had become concerned in recent days that the booby-trapped devices could be discovered.
The second was that Israel uncovered a plot to attack Israel at the Sea of Galilee. Hezbollah planned to raid Israeli territory, occupy the communities in the Galilee, murder and kill innocents, similar to what the Hamas terror organization carried out in the murderous massacre on the 7th October 2023.” A senior Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed in a targeted IDF strike in Lebanon on the 20th September 2024.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Aqil’s assassination would “shake up” Hezbollah, noting that the terror leader and his commanders had “planned for years to occupy the Galilee, they are responsible for the murder of many Israelis, including soldiers, over the years.”
Echoing comments made by President Isaac Herzog earlier in the day, Halevi said the terror leaders had been “planning how to carry out the next attack — this may be what they were dealing with in that meeting on Friday afternoon — how to infiltrate the State of Israel, murder civilians and kidnap IDF soldiers.”
Aqil, also known as Al-Hajj Abdul Khader, was a member of Hezbollah’s top “military” body, the Jihad Council, which is subordinate to the Shura Council and under the direct control of terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah. Aqil was also responsible for the Radwan Force commandos in the Sword of Iron war (the war declared by the State of Israel against the Hamas terrorist organization) and led Hezbollah’s tunnel project in Lebanon.
The United States had offered a $7 million bounty for Aqil. In the 1980s, Aqil was a senior member in Hezbollah's cell responsible for the 1983 US embassy bombing and the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings.
The third possible reason could have been a Hezbollah terror attack targeting a senior Israeli defence official using a remotely detonated explosive device. The threat was believed to be carried out within a couple of days of the threat being discovered. The Shin Bet had foiled the recent attempt by Hezbollah to assassinate the former senior Israeli security official using a remotely detonated explosive device. The bomb had a remote detonation system, including a camera and a cellular connection, which would have allowed Hezbollah to activate it from Lebanon according to the Times of Israel.
A fourth motive to initiate the explosives in the pagers and therefore destroying Hezbollah’s ability to communicate making an Israeli invasion into Hezbollah territory easier. Israel has made it a war objective to ensure those who are displaced from the north of Israel should be allowed home. There are over 60,000 displaced Israelis due to rocket, drone and missile attacks by Hezbollah in the north.
17th September 2024 Pager Attack on Hezbollah (The Party of God)
On the 17th September 2024 various outlets reported a breaking news story stating that hundreds of Hezbollah operatives had been wounded because the pagers they were carrying detonated causing deaths and severe injuries. It was also reported that the Iranian ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, had been injured. The ambassador's wife said, “My husband has suffered a minor injury. Thank God, he is in a good condition.” Later the New York Times wrote that Amani had, “lost one eye and his other was seriously wounded when a pager he was carrying exploded.”
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Arabiya News that the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel. At the time of reporting the pager explosions had been responsible for 2,800 people injured some seriously and there were some fatalities.
The immediate action by Hezbollah and others was to point the finger at the State of Israel with speculation as to why and how this was achieved. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said the pagers belonged “to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions” and confirmed the deaths of eight fighters.
In normal fashion, Israel did not respond.
Hezbollah said an unspecified number of pagers - which the group relies on heavily for communications due to the risk of mobile phones being hacked or tracked - exploded at approximately 1530 hrs local time (1230 hrs GMT) in the capital Beirut and many other areas. Wounds and injuries ranged between the head to the waist and included the face, eyes and hands, a staff member from the LAU Medical Centre in Beirut's Ashrafieh district said, adding: “A lot of casualties have lost fingers, in some cases all of them.” Thousands were left injured, some left blinded with others missing limbs.
The official Hezbollah media office declared eight fighters were dead. It just stated that they were “martyred on the road to Jerusalem,” providing no information about the places or circumstances.
Fourteen people were also wounded by exploding pagers in neighbouring Syria, where Hezbollah is fighting alongside government forces in the country's civil war, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and reported by the BBC.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also blamed Israel for the explosions, saying that they represented a “serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards.” Obviously, the launching of rockets, drones and missiles from Lebanon into Israel by Hezbollah is not a crime.
Procurement of the Pagers
Professor Andreas Krieg, Middle East expert, senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, said: 'Regardless of how they sourced it or how they procured this device, Israel has been able to infiltrate and compromise the supply chain.
The bigger picture suggests that the security forces of Israel have managed to penetrate Hezbollah and Iran at a deep level. Israel has had some very successful outcomes against their two enemies. The assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the 31st July 2024. Fuad Shukr was believed to be a key military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. On the 30th July 2024, Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut for his alleged responsibility for the Majdal Shams attack on 27th July that killed 12 Druze children.
Being afraid that the phones used by Hezbollah members to communicate presented a massive security risk, Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in February 2024 declared the devices were 'more dangerous than Israeli spies' and his officials began drawing up plans to address gaps in the group's intelligence infrastructure.
In a televised speech on the 13th February 2024, Nasrallah sternly ordered his followers and supporters to break, bury or lock their phones in an iron box.
The group opted to replace the phones its members had previously used to communicate, with pagers - one-way receivers that are more secure than smartphones and do not operate on the same network.
They also have an extremely long battery life, with some models able to last up to three months on one charge - a key advantage given Lebanon's economic crisis and unreliable electricity supply.
Open-source outlets provided some ideas of how the pagers had been procured. The procurement of the message device would also give an idea of how explosives would have been placed in the device without being discovered. But there was a great deal of unknown speculation.
Some reports claimed that the devices had been intercepted prior to delivery while others claimed that the explosives were placed in the pagers by whoever had constructed them. Others believed that the lithium batteries had overheated causing the pagers to explode. But in reality, to have over three thousand pager batteries explode all at the same time through being overheating would be a little farfetched.
There was also talk that Mossad had set up a complexity of shell companies across Europe. Hezbollah would not have been able to purchase pagers due to American sanctions against them and so were limited in their choice.
Lebanon’s United Nations mission after a preliminary investigation by the Lebanese authorities found that the pagers, “were implanted with explosives before arriving in the country.”
Carlos Perez, director of security intelligence at TrustedSec.an American cybersecurity company said, “by the time of the attack, 'the battery was probably half-explosive and half-actual battery.”
A former British Army munitions expert, who asked not to be named, told the BBC the pagers would have likely been packed with between 10g and 20g of military-grade high explosive, hidden inside a fake electronic component.
“Mossad infiltrated the supply chain,” said Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute, referring to Israel’s intelligence agency.
SMEX, a Lebanese digital rights organization, told Reuters that Israel could have exploited a weakness in the device to cause it to explode. It said the pagers could also have been intercepted before reaching Hezbollah and either tampered with electronically or implanted with an explosive device.
Gold Apollo explained that the devices were made by BAC, a Budapest-based firm that has the right to use the Gold Apollo’s brand but is otherwise independent. Gold Apollo authorized “BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in specific regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC,” it said in a statement. “The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” Gold Apollo’s founder and president, Hsu Ching-kuang, told reporters at the company’s offices in the northern Taiwanese city of New Taipei on the 18th September 2024.
In the end they were all wrong
The Times of Israel ran a story about the pagers on the 22nd September 2024. The pagers had been detonated individually with the attackers knowing who was being targeted and where they were. In a lengthy report quoting Israeli and foreign sources, Israeli Channel 12 News said that those behind the attacks were determined to ensure that only the person carrying the device would be hurt by the blast. “Each pager had its own arrangements. That’s how it was possible to control who was hit and who wasn’t.”
The newspaper report said that at least 30 people had been killed with thousands being injured.
As Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut-based senior fellow of the American think tank, the Atlantic Council, said: “Israel in one fell swoop has rendered combat ineffective hundreds if not thousands of Hezbollah fighters, in some cases permanently.”
The Times continued, quoting an unnamed foreign security source, the report said that “tens of thousands of pagers” were produced and manufactured with the knowledge that they would be checked carefully by the client, Hezbollah.” Interviewed in the report, Ronen Bergman, an investigative reporter for The New York Times and Yedioth Ahronoth, explained that the pagers therefore had to work properly and betray no indication that they had been primed with explosives. Their appearance and weight had to be unchanged, and they needed to be able to pass detection by sniffer dogs.
Ronen Bergman, an investigative reporter for The New York Times and Yedioth Ahronoth said that the whole scheme was dreamed up by a brilliant female intelligence operative, aged less than 30, somewhere in the Middle East.
Whoever was responsible, the report said, decided to set up a factory to build the devices from scratch — so that “it won’t be a device that we will tamper with; it will be a device that we will produce.” The New York Times came to the same conclusion in a report.
The ability to supply the device to Hezbollah was helped by the fact that the terror group is not able to make purchases on the open market, because of suppliers’ fears of sanctions from the United States, and therefore must routinely work with intermediary suppliers.
Amos Yadlin, a former IDF intelligence chief, said more broadly that Israel’s goal was to cause Nasrallah to realize that his attacks on the north of Israel “are costing him more than he’s gaining,” including in terms of support within Lebanon.
According to Michael Doran’s article in the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, the great genius of the operation was that the Israelis relied on Hezbollah to select their targets for them. If we map the attacked men, we map Hezbollah’s organizational chart, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon who is an IRGC officer. The large ratio of maiming to deaths is a sign of success. In military terms, a maiming is preferable because it ties up more resources and stresses enemy systems to a much greater degree.
Hand-Held Radios
After the shock of the pagers exploding the next blow to the Hezbollah communications system was the blast from their hand-held radios. On the 18th September 2024 news outlets announced that Lebanon’s health ministry said 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured on in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley. The Bekaa Vally is a Hezbollah strong hold to the north of Israel and closer to the Syrian border than Israel.
Known as the “reservoir of the resistance,” the Beqaa Valley is Hezbollah’s stronghold of support and a storage location due to its proximity to Syria, a main route for Iran to supply its proxies in the Levant for weapons.
The Guardian wrote, “We consider the south to be the first line of defence for Lebanon, and we in the Beqaa are the second line of defence,” said the mayor of Nabi Chit’s Hezbollah-run municipality, Hassan al-Moussawi. Hezbollah enjoys backing from the Beqaa’s powerful tribes and draws its fighters from the area’s predominantly Shia population.
A Reuters reporter in the southern suburbs of Beirut said he saw Hezbollah members frantically taking batteries out of any walkie-talkies that had not exploded, tossing the parts in metal barrels. Hezbollah turned to pagers and other low-tech communication devices in an attempt to evade Israeli surveillance of mobile phones.
Israel again provided no comment regarding the incident.
The Party of God, Hezbollah, now had no mobile/cell phones, no pagers and no hand-held communication devices while Israel launched an air assault against them. At this stage it is more than likely that ‘runners’ were used to convey messages.
By not being able to use modern technology to communicate with Hezbollah leaders and units would prove to be extremely difficult and using decades old technology to communicate with their fighters. Israel, if they did conduct the pager and hand-held devices, had not only sent the Iranian-backed terrorist group back by decades and rendered any effective modern way of communication distrustful.
Should Iran send Hezbollah any type of advanced communications equipment, it would take weeks, if not months, for a new system to become operational. The attack on Hezbollah communications systems had been thought out and implemented well.
Japanese firm Icom said on the 19th September 2024 that it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around 10 years ago.
“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” Icom said in a statement.
“The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company,” it said.
“All of our radios are manufactured at our production subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., in Wakayama Prefecture, under a strict management system... so no parts other than those specified by our company are used in a product. In addition, all of our radios are manufactured at the same factory, and we do not manufacture them overseas,” the statement said.
Speaking to Reuters outside the company’s headquarters in Osaka, Yoshiki Enomoto a director at ICOM, said that “there’s no way a bomb could have been integrated into one of our devices during manufacturing. The process is highly automated and fast-paced, so there’s no time for such things.”
Hezbollah Reaction
In a high-profile speech on the 19th September 2024 through the Iranian government-controlled Tehran Times quoted Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who said the Israeli regime intended to kill thousands of Lebanese people within minutes by exploding pagers and walkie talkies on Tuesday (17 Sep 24) and Wednesday (18 Sep 24).
Nasrallah called the back-to-back attacks “a terrorist act” and a “massacre”.
He also said they were "severe" and "unprecedented" acts and a declaration of war against the people of Lebanon and the country’s sovereignty.
The Times of Israel also quoted the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who conceded on 19th September that the terror group had suffered a “major and unprecedented” blow this week when thousands of its communications devices suddenly exploded, but vowed that the Lebanon-based terror organization would recover and not lay off its attacks on Israel after months of cross-border fire.
He continued with “they were "severe" and "unprecedented" acts and a declaration of war against the people of Lebanon and the country’s sovereignty.”
Lebanese health minister Firass Abiad added that the death toll from the two waves of pager and walkie-talkie attacks across the country has risen to 37 while 287 people are in a critical condition.
Nasrallah was now claiming to be the victim whereas it was he who started to attack Israel on the 8th October 2023. The Israeli’s up until this point had been patient.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Steps In
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Israel on the 19th September 2024 that it will face a “crushing response from the resistance front” after thousands of communication devices used by Hezbollah in Lebanon had exploded.
IRGC head Hossein Salami said in a message to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, quoted by state media said, “Such terrorist acts, that are undoubtedly due to the desperation and successive failures of the Zionist regime, will soon be met with a crushing response from the resistance front.”
You will notice that Salami had said, “resistance front” and not from Iran itself.
The same rhetoric that the IRGC General said when Ismail Haniyeh the Political leader of Hamas was assassinated on the 31st July 2024. Israel is still waiting for that ‘crushing response’.
The Tehran Times wrote, “Israel is once more escalating tensions towards a potential large-scale conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah amid the regime’s desperate attempts to distract attention from its unsuccessful nearly yearlong war in Gaza.” The paper also went on to accuse Lebanon’s pager bombings on the CIA working hand in glove with Mossad.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, told United Nations that it reserves the right to respond to the recent act of sabotage and terrorism by the rogue Israeli regime in Lebanon, after Tehran’s ambassador was injured in one of the explosions in Beirut. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will duly follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon, which resulted in his injury, and reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond to such a heinous crime and violation,” Iravani wrote, Iranian government-controlled Press TV reported. There was no indication as to how Iran was going to achieve the right to respond.
Iravani continued, “The UN Secretary General and the Security Council must condemn unequivocally Israel’s terrorist action and heinous crime against the head of Iran's diplomatic mission in Lebanon.”
Rich coming from the world’s number one in state sponsored terrorist country and the supplier of weapons, training and funding to terrorist designated groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Yemeni Ansarullah, of which at least three of the terror groups have vowed to destroy Israel by year 2041.
On the 20th September 2024, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi had been weighing up plans for political and legal action against the Israeli regime in response to its most recent terrorist attack in Lebanon, which injured Iran’s ambassador to Beirut Tasnim News Agency reported.
On the 23rd September 2024 the Jerusalem Post reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards had banned communication devices after the strikes on Hezbollah, Iranian security officials said.
One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is underway by the IRGC to inspect all devices.
Iran's military uses a range of encrypted communication devices, including walkie-talkies, for secure communication, said the first Iranian source. While specific models and brands might vary, Iranian military communications equipment was often developed domestically or sourced from a combination of local and foreign suppliers, he said.
He said Iran's armed forces had stopped using pagers for over two decades.
Tehran has developed its own military-grade radio transmissions through its defence industry to avoid reliance on foreign imports, especially due to Western sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.
Iran conducted a paranoia hunt for anyone that may have been involved in collaborating with Israel. On the 22nd September 2024 reports of twelve people who had been arrested for having alleged dealings with Israel started to surface. Iran had already declared it was going to start and look to see if anyone was living a style above their means and checking certain bank accounts.
Iran was concerned that some of the populations were on Israeli’s payroll while checking mid to high-ranking IRGC officials. “This includes scrutiny of their bank accounts both in Iran and abroad, as well as their travel history and that of their families,” the security official says. How they will distinguish between being on a payroll, corruption and theft will be for the Iranian judicial apparatus to decide.
A security official declined to give details on how the IRGC force, comprising 190,000 personnel, are communicating. "For now, we are using end-to-end encryption in messaging systems," he said.
Conclusion
Paranoia has now set in for all electrical and communication apparatus that Hezbollah, Iran and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups use. There communications network will now probably be down to runners delivering hand held possibly coded messages. This would work totally in Israeli’s favour as runners take time to reach a destination, wait for an answer and return back to the originator. In a war they would risk being shot or bombed resulting in the message not being delivered. This also takes valuable time for any quick decision that would need to be made.
Every electronic device will be mistrusted and stripped down to ensure that it does not contain a Mossad device taking a great deal of time. Even then, they will not trust the device.
As for the threat from Iran and their ‘crushing response’ Israel is still waiting for the same action After they assassinated Hamas’s political leader in Tehran, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh the alleged head of Iran's nuclear weapons program who was assassinated on the 27th November 2020 in what was a brilliant operation.
Command and Control (C2) of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation is now devastated until a suitable solution can be found which will take a great deal of time leaving Hezbollah weak, vulnerable and at a disadvantage when attempting to defend itself or retaliate against Israeli forces.
Whilst Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups boast of their drone capabilities Israel remains silent of their skills leading to distrust and paranoia amongst Israels enemies. Even the Iranian security apparatus is a shoddy organisation compared to the Israeli intelligence operation.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and their proxies do not play by any rules or international laws, only by their own and if the opposition gets the better of them, then they turn the tables and claim to be the victim. Hezbollah will now claim to be the victim in an attempt to gain sympathy and turn others against Israel.
Iran and the distance between themselves and Israel have to solely rely on others to conduct their dirty work for them. Without a responsive and active unit or units to fight against Israel they will not be capable of conducting operations to destroy Israel effectively.
Communications at all levels has to be a 100% safe, secure and reliable.
Hezbollah and the Iranian military will be in fear as to what else Israel has tampered with. They will distrust some equipment, production, suppliers and electronic devices. If the pagers can get by scrutiny and sniffer dogs then what has been intercepted with the possibility of being used in the future.
They will suspect anything and everything. Not only will these two terrorist groups be at an immense disadvantage when attempting to carryout their own war against Israel they will be for some time to come wonder how they can achieve a level playing field but how long will it take.
Michael Doran wrote in the Hudson Institute an American non-partisan think tank based in Washington, D.C called the Israeli operation, “Operation Grim Beeper.” Amusing but apt.
 
Paul Ashley
 

 
“The myth of the invincibility of the Israeli army has long become an empty slogan.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani: Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) 26 Aug 24
 
 
25th August 2024 Hezbollah (“The Party of God”) “Operation Grilled Chicken” Attack the State of Israel
​
If you were on the giving end the attack by Hezbollah against Israel on the 25th August 2024, then the Iranians and Hezbollah like to call it, “Operation Arbaeen.[1]” However, if you were on the receiving end of the Hezbollah attack, Israel, other Arabs named it “Operation Grilled Chicken.”
25th August 2024 Hezbollah ("Party of God") Attacks the State of Israel
 
The Hezbollah Attack
 
Hezbollah and other Iranian backed terrorist groups believe it is their divine right to attack and kill Israeli’s when and how they want. As in the case of Hezbollah killing twelve children on the Golan Heights on the 27th July 2024 either by accident or on purpose. However, when Israel retaliates and killed the Iranian-backed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander in Hezbollah, Hezbollah vows retaliation!
 
For nearly a month the terrorist group vowed revenge against Israel for the killing of their top Hezbollah commander. Then on the 25th August 2024 Hezbollah decided that it would fire numerous Katyusha rockets[2] at Israel. The United States intelligence service informed Israel that Hezbollah was about to release a major attack on Israel who instructed the Israeli Air Force to take out many of the launch pads that Hezbollah had deployed in its aggression against Israel.
 
Hezbollah has used Katyusha rockets primarily as a form of indirect fire against Israel. These rockets are typically employed to target populated areas, military installations, and infrastructure within Israel. Katyusha rockets are valued by Hezbollah for their simplicity, ease of transport, and ability to be launched from concealed locations, making them effective for guerrilla-style warfare. Originally of Russian design and sometimes known as the “Stalin Organ” because of the noise they make when launched.
 
Katyusha rockets used by Hezbollah typically have a range of up to 20-40 kilometres, although some variants may reach up to 80 kilometres. They are unguided and can cause significant damage due to their high explosive warheads, though their lack of precision means they are often used in saturation attacks to compensate for accuracy.
 
Israel launched pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah locations that were about to launch their attack on Israel. One hundred Israeli military aircraft took to the skies and targeted more than 40 Hezbollah Katyusha launch sites. The Israeli military assessed that Hezbollah had been preparing to fire hundreds of rockets into central Israel in an attack planned for 0500 hrs adding that the military assessed the subsequent Hezbollah barrage was “improvised”.
 
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said the military had struck in self-defence. “We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians,” he added, without providing details. ”‎‏We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm’s way immediately for their own safety.”
 
Hezbollah dismissed Israel’s “empty” claims about its pre-emptive action and disrupting the resistance movement’s attack. A Hezbollah spokesman said, “The enemy's claims about the pre-emptive action it carried out, the targets it achieved, and its disruption of the resistance's attack are empty claims and contradict the facts on the ground.”
 
There was no clear evidence produced to confirm the Hezbollah claim that they had in fact caused damage.
 
Hezbollah targets were supposed to be in the north and central areas of Israel. The group claimed that their retaliatory attack against Israel for the death of Fuad Shukr “was calculated to avoid all-out war.”
 
The terrorist group then goes on to describe how the retaliation was conducted in a manner to avoid ‘a full-scale war.’ Hezbollah also said it was “in a high state of readiness,” adding that “if civilians are harmed, there will be very severe punishment.”
 
Earlier Hezbollah had claimed that this strike was only the first, stating that they would launch more attacks deeper into Israel but for the time being “military operations for the day had been completed.” It is possible that they have made this statement because of the total failure of the retaliation operation and to save their face to the followers and supporters of the terrorist group.
 
The group said all the exploding drones it launched hit their targets, without saying how many. Hezbollah listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
 
Hezbollah said it had been able to launch its drones as planned and that the rest of its response to Shukr’s killing would take “some time.”
 
Israel’s pre-emptive attack took out an estimated 1,500 missiles before they were able to be launched. The 320 missiles that were launched were destroyed by Israel’s Iron Dome.[3]
 
According to the Federation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), only two images emerged showing damage in Israel:
 
1.   a Hezbollah rocket that exploded in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and
2.  a chicken coop that was shown burning, prompting the world to mock the Lebanese Islamist militia and call its attack “Operation Grilled Chicken.”
 
Arabs from different countries mocked the Hezbollah failure by posting pictures of chickens on social media sites.
 
One such post from a Kuwaiti uploaded the picture of a dead chicken adding cynically, “Allahu Akbar! Hassan Nasrallah’s response! Hezbollah’s response! The number of chicken injuries rose to 27 chickens, 5 of them are critically injured, with first-degree burns to the wings and beak, after the chicken pen was targeted in response to the assassination of Fouad Shukr. He says ‘Our missiles are accurate!’”
 
A Syrian also mocked and wrote “A video showing the result of Hezbollah’s response to Israel, where dozens of Israeli chickens were killed and wounded. Is it reasonable that my ally Hezbollah would respond to the assassination of the party’s top military commander by killing chickens? I will now call my friend Hassan Nasrallah to explain to him that Israel is a murderer and assassinated his leaders, not a midwife who delivered them so that he could slaughter chickens on this occasion.”
 
Hamas called the attack against Israel a, “slap on the face.”
 
Propaganda
 
Hezbollah turned to propaganda to claim victory. The group, nevertheless, managed to launch a claimed 320 Katyusha rockets—the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) identified a lower number of 210 rockets and twenty drones—which it said “targeted Israeli barracks and positions [in northern Israel] to facilitate the path of attack drones towards its intended target in the depth of the Entity [i.e. Israel].”
 
Once again undeterred by reality, Hezbollah immediately spun the operation as a “total success.” The group later followed up by claiming all drones had launched and struck their targets, which its sources falsely told Al-Jadeed and Al-Araby television were “two vital targets in northern Tel Aviv,” and denied that Israel had launched a pre-emptive strike.
 
Nasrallah drove the point home later in the day, claiming that “our information confirms” the drones launched by Hezbollah had struck their intended targets: Israeli Military Intelligence Unit 8200’s and Mossad’s Headquarters in Glilot, in northern Tel Aviv. He also purported to pick apart Israel’s “narrative of a pre-emptive strike.” The Israelis, he alleged, only noticed Hezbollah’s movements at the last minute and ended up attacking evacuated bases and positions, “a failure of Israeli intelligence and pre-emption.”
 
Hezbollah like Iran deployed its propaganda machine to bridge the gap between reality and the image it wants to project to its followers and claim success. It can thus tread the very fine line of settling the score for Shukr, appearing strong before its base but not granting Israel sufficient justification or legitimacy to initiate a full war.
 
As with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attack on Israel in April 2024 where Iran launched three hundred rockets and missiles in Operation Truthful Promise and failed with only the injury of a young girl, this attack by Hezbollah was unsuccessful. There were three deaths confirmed in Lebanon and one death from the Israeli side. With Hezbollah failing to achieve any of their objectives.
 
Post Attack Likenesses
 
There are some similarities here notwithstanding the fact that there is a difference of opinion regarding the success of the raid.
 
Hezbollah fired a missile, drone or rocket which killed twelve innocent children who were playing football (soccer) and the man responsible for that atrocity was Fuad Shukr who also played a responsible role for the attack in the 1983 bombing of US Marine Corps barracks that left 241 US Marines dead, according to the State Department.
 
Clearly Fuad Shukr was responsible for many deaths. But it is with this one area that Hezbollah believed it to be the divine wrath of Israel. Hezbollah claims that this strike was the first indicating that there was more to come. Then in another sentence they state that they do not want all-out war but if Israel retaliates for this attack, then they will again be targeted. Israel has claimed this will not be the end of the matter. If Hezbollah does not want to escalate the conflict, then why make contradictory statements. You either want escalation or you don’t in which case stand-down.
 
The Hezbollah and the Iranian attack on Israel bear similarities. They both failed in their objective to strike Israel and cause severe damage. Injuries and fatalities from both attacks were thankfully minimal. They both injured civilians and in the case of the Iran attack on Israela small young female who later managed to recover from her injuries.
 
Both refuse to accept that they never achieved their objectives and both use propaganda and not facts and evidence in their ‘after action report’ claiming victory.
 
Hezbollah would be wise to take a leaf out of their master’s book. When Iran attacked Israel, Israel retaliated by launching a drone strike on Iran that evaded their air defence systems. Since then, there has been no response to that attack. Hezbollah should learn from Iran’s mistake and realise that Israel can, and will, strike back. No matter how often and how loud Hezbollah beats the drum, Israel appears to win.
 
The death of the Hamas political leader of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran by Israel at the end of July 2024 has bought nothing but rhetoric and threats. Perhaps the Iranian government has learnt its lesson.
 
It seems that between Hezbollah and Iran, it is Hezbollah that leads by example. On the 25th August 2024 in the Tehran Times hours before Israel launched its pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah, Iran’s chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to taking action against the Zionist regime in response to its offenses on Iranian territory. Hezbollah beat him to it.
 
In both the Hezbollah and the Iranian scenarios, both always claim that they are the victims of any attack when in reality they are the instigators not the victims.
 
As for the Iranian foreign minister’s quote regarding the ‘myth of the invincibility of the Israeli army has long become an empty slogan’ he really needs to reevaluate what he says. Israel’s weapon systems, military and allies are fair better than the Islamic Republic of Iran’s allies and armed forces will ever be.
 
Armchair Critics
 
If people remain silent when Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansarullah and the Islamic Republic of Iran attack Israel, then those people should remain silent when Israel defends itself.
 
Paul Ashley
 
 
Additional Information
[1]        What is Arbaeen and how do Shia Muslims mark it?
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/arbaeen-shia-muslims-what-how-marked
 
[2]        Katyusha Rockets and Launchers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha_rocket_launcher
[3]        Israels IRON DOME
https://www.rafael.co.il/system/iron-dome/
 
 
 
 
 
 

​Question: Who is the guilty party? The one that supplies the tools to do the activity, trains personnel to carry out the work, gives the group the finances to conduct the engagement, gives continuing support and guidance for the task or the one that pulls the trigger? Or is it the one that defends itself?
Iran calls for the US to be taken to the ICC and ICJ
Turkey has shown courage by standing up for humanity and became the seventh country to join the South African genocide case against Israel the Tehran Times reported on the 10th August 2024. The reader should have noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran was not one of the seven. The Times even points out that there are other countries allegedly waiting in the sidelines to join the 'magnificent seven' but again Iran is not one of them. They are also clear to point out that Libya is the only Arab country that is on the list of seven. Iran quickly takes the lead that the other Arab countries are under pressure from the United States not to join.
Utter nonsense. But Iran will use it as propaganda and pressure in the hope that other Arab countries will join.
But, not, Iran. When Iran talks about "it’s time to refer the USA to the ICJ and the ICC, what they really mean is, not them. They want someone else to carry out their dirty work for them. This is just another way of applying pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire and thus save the Iran-backed proxy group of Hamas. Trying to apply pressure on countries to stop supplying weapons and ammunition by claiming that their munitions are being used to carryout genocidal acts against the Palestinians.
Claiming that those countries who supply weapons, ammunition and logistics which could be interpretated at a later date as genocide has made some countries think twice about supplying Israel with military logistics. Iran believes that if the keep applying pressure on countries to stop supplying weapons and ammunition to Israel, then others will follow suit.
By having countries agree to a weapons and ammunition embargo on Israel and their suppliers, sends a message to the world. The reason for sending the United States of America to the ICC and/or the ICJ and allowing for the outcome being in favour that the United States was found guilty of supplying weapons that had been used in a genocide would then make other countries such as the United Kingdom under the new Labour government stop the supply of weaponries to Israel (the supply of armaments to Israel is already under review by the new UK Labour government). Then this would therefore put pressure on the Israelis to agree to a ceasefire because of the lack of ammunition, weapons or parts for armoured vehicles to continue their quest in the dismantling of the Iranian-backed Hamas.
But, the one thing you will not see is Iran taking the lead.
It is also important to highlight that both Israel and the United States have not agreed to become members of the ICC or the ICJ and that both organisations have no way of enforcing the results of the court.
The government of Tehran calls for more Arab states to condemn the Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. "Arab and indeed more Muslim countries should immediately join the South Africa case at the ICJ."
But where is Iran? They are a Muslim country, why not lead by example and put their foot forward and join the “magnificent seven” that they boast about?
They cannot. Firstly, they do not have too as they have the puppet government of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) to do that for them. Secondly, they know the case will fail and Iran does not want to sign up to be on the losing team.
Its far easier for the Islamic Republic of Iran to have others do the fighting for you either in a court in the Hague or on the streets of the Gaza Strip. That is why Hamas along with their military wing, Izzadin al-Qassam Brigade and the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and their military wing, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade are at war with Israel currently in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas run government in Gaza uses another method to apply pressure on Israel by publishing inflated death and wounded figures in order to apply weight using the media and press to quote and publish those figures that has no outside verification.  
The Hamas government in Gaza does not distinguish between combatants and no-combatants nor do they distinguish between innocent children and those that Hamas and other groups have indoctrinated since they were infants and taught to fight against the “Israeli occupation.”
Al-Tabieen School
Recently a school was attacked by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip. The death toll varies depending on the open-source outlet that you read. Some say the death toll was 90 others state that deaths were over a hundred. Any casualties and deaths cannot be verified due to the figures coming from the Hamas Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip. Again, no external verification.
Israel claimed that the school was housing Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who were being allowed to operate in the Safe area. The Arab News for the day stated that prior to this attack Israel had targeted four other schools. What the Arab press fail to follow up on apart from those that had been allegedly killed, was why Israel had targeted those areas in the first place.
The Al-Arabiya News report stated: Israel’s army said on the 12th August 2024 that it had killed 31 Palestinian militants in a weekend strike on a Gaza school building that rescuers reported left at least 93 people dead, including 11 children.
Amid global criticism, Israel at first named 19 terrorists that were killed in the terror HQ in the Gaza school and published the names and photographs as evidence of those who were in attendance at the school and were killed.
Later this changed and in a joint statement with Israeli secret services, the army said it had confirmed the “identities of 31 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists” killed in the strike and again provided a list of names and pictures of the militants as evidence.
That same day in the same news outlet they reported: Gaza officials told AFP on Monday that they had identified 75 bodies of Palestinians killed in a weekend strike by Israel on a school building where rescuers reported at least 93 dead. “There are 93 dead in the al-Tabieen school strike, 75 of them have been identified,” Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
“The others have not yet been identified because some bodies are torn and charred by the bombardment.”
He said the dead included 11 children and six women.
In every report regarding the dead there are always women and children mentioned.
There was no evidence by Mahmoud Bassal to support the claims.
The State of Israel in its war against Iranian backed terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen, to some extent Iran-backed Iraqi terrorist groups and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah is under the microscope with everything they do. Not so the terrorist groups they are fighting who act with impunity against Israel and the United States along with other allies with the support and backing of Iran.
Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas “command and control centre” that was “embedded” in Al-Tabieen school in the Daraj neighbourhood. “Numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information,” a statement said. The military has repeatedly made similar statements after strikes on school shelters. Hamas has previously denied Israeli claims that it uses schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities for military aims. Evidence provided says otherwise.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) disputed the numbers of deaths given out by the Hamas authorities. The IDF said that footage from after the strike showed that there was no major damage to the surrounding school complex. It also said that the missiles “could not have caused the damage that corresponds to the casualty reports of the government media office in Gaza.” Again, photographs were given as evidence.
The Palestinian terrorist groups have changed their tactics recently as they are finding it difficult to use their tunnel network. “Increasingly in recent months Hamas has focused on exploiting school buildings, often where civilians are sheltering inside, to use them as military facilities, command and control centres, for storing weapons, and to execute terrorist attacks,” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.
The spokesman continued, “Over the last few weeks, our intelligence has been closely monitoring an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility, where approximately two dozen Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were operating,” Hagari continued. “After we received clear intelligence of the threat posed by these terrorists and in accordance with international humanitarian law, we took numerous steps to mitigate the risk to civilians, including using aerial surveillance prior to the strike and selecting very precise munitions to avoid civilian casualties."
The government of Israeli is aware that their actions are scrutinised under a microscope with the United States stating that no other army in the world undergoes such precis planning in order to ensure that civilian casualties are kept to a minimum.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s propaganda will state that the cause of so many deaths would be put down to American munitions used in the strike.
United Nations
The United Nations special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese said that, “Israel was carrying out such strikes against Palestinians using “US and European weapons,””
Francesca P. Albanese is an Italian international lawyer and academic. On 1st May 2022, she was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term.
Her appointment generated some controversy due to comments she made criticising the US and Europe during the 2014 Gaza War. Albanese described the United States as "subjugated by the Jewish lobby" and Europe by a "sense of guilt about the Holocaust", arguing that both "condemn the oppressed" in the conflict. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Susan Heller Pinto of the Anti-Defamation League, and Michele Taylor, the American ambassador to the Human Rights Council, suggested the comments were antisemitic in nature. She said that she has never been antisemitic and that her criticism of Israel is related to its occupation of Palestinian territories.
On the 18th October 2022, Albanese recommended in her first report that UN member states develop "a plan to end the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and apartheid regime". The report concluded: "The violations described in the present report expose the nature of the Israeli occupation, that of an intentionally acquisitive, segregationist and repressive regime designed to prevent the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination."
In Albanese reports she fails to point out that the Islamic Republic of Iran in January 2021 passed a bill in the Iranian parliament that wants Israel destroyed by March 2041. The parliamentary bill also declared American forces should also be gone from the region and that successive Iranian governments were ‘obliged’ to continue the contents of the bill in the future.
The war in Gaza is a war instigated and directed by Iran with the battle ground chosen by Hamas. Whenever there is an outcry of Israeli retaliation against Hamas the Iranian propaganda outlets always state that those killed were with ordinance supplied to Israel by the United States. They also claim that the United States is responsible for the deaths of many Palestinians because they supply Israel with the means of killing them.
The United Nations is guided by such special rapporteur’s to make assessments on situations and incidents. Even biased ones.
The supplier of arms to Israel
Although the United States is the largest supplier of arms and ammunition to Israel, Iran seems to omit that Germany and Italy are two other countries that supply a great deal of military hardware to Israel
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) dated March 2024, the US accounted for 69% of Israel's imports of major conventional arms between 2019 and 2023.
Germany is the next biggest arms exporter to Israel, accounting for 30% of imports between 2019 and 2023, according to SIPRI.
In 2023, the European nation's weapons sales to Israel were worth €326.5m ($351m; £280m) - a 10-fold increase compared with 2022 - with the majority of those export licences granted after the 7 October attacks.
Italy is the third-biggest arms exporter to Israel, but it accounted for only 0.9% of Israeli imports between 2019 and 2023. They have reportedly included helicopters and naval artillery.
Sales of "arms and munitions" amounted to €13.7m ($14.8m; £11.7m) last year, the magazine Altreconomia cited national statistics bureau ISTAT as saying.
In March 2024 Canada and the Netherlands have halted arms shipments to Israel this year over concern they could be used in ways violating international humanitarian law - causing civilian casualties and destruction of residential areas - in Gaza.
Canada joins the Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Belgium in suspending arms sales.
It is important to note, Hamas receives approximately $350 million dollars per year in support from Iran or roughly 93% of their total funding.” The Palestinian militants behind the surprise attack on Israel began planning the assault at least a year ago, with key support from Iranian allies who provided military training and logistical help as well as tens of millions of dollars for weapons, current and former Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials said on the 9th October 2023.
Why Does Iran not Encourage for Germany and Italy be Taken to Court?
Germany
Germany and Iran have a long history of diplomatic relations. After World War II, official diplomatic ties were established in 1939 when Iran opened its first diplomatic mission office in Bonn. Both countries had maintained formal relations since the end of the 19th century. Germany has an embassy in Tehran, which dates back to 1884, and Iran opened its embassy in Berlin in 1885. During the Qajar era, cultural ties between the German Reich and Iran existed, and German soldiers were involved in training the popular army during the Constitutionalist movement in Guilan. Notably, in 1936, Nazi Germany’s financial mastermind visited Tehran, leading to important commercial agreements. However, recent relations have faced scrutiny due to Iran’s political situation and human rights concerns.
In 2022, Germany exported $1.64 billion worth of goods to Iran.
Italy
The diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Italian Republic have a strong history. The relationship dates back to ancient times when the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire were major powers. Despite disruptions (such as the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the end of the Sasanian dynasty), the connection persisted for centuries.
After Italy’s unification by Giuseppe Garibaldi on the 17th March 1861, they signed a friendship agreement and a commercial treaty in 1873. Italy was Iran’s largest trading partner in the European Union in 2017. Even during periods of heightened tensions, Italian officials-maintained communication with Iranian counterparts on soft political issues.
Notably, after the interim nuclear deal in 2013, Italy’s Emma Bonino became the first European foreign minister to visit Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani highlighted Italy’s importance for trade and economic cooperation1.
Italy has signalled renewed interest in engaging with Iran, especially since Mario Draghi’s government came to power. It occupies a unique position among EU capitals, allowing for bold measures regarding Iran post-nuclear deal.
The Islamic republic of Iran desperately needs friends in Europe. More importantly the new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian (inaugurated 28th July 2024) is keen to further relations with the west which will be difficult after the Iranian human tragedy surrounding the death of the Kurdish female, Masha Imani, and that Iran has and is currently supplying weapons to Russia against the Ukraine.
The Iranians are also attempting to split relationships between the United States and Europe in order to achieve much needed sanctions relief. The new president has made it clear that he wants better relations with Europe and to bring down high inflation. Two of his electoral manifesto goals.
Russia, Iran and the War in Ukraine
On 24th February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014. The invasion, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties.
As of the 2nd July 2024, and since the start of the war in February 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 30,041 civilian casualties with 10,382 killed, including 579 children, and 19,659 people injured, including 1,285 children.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been supplying drones and missiles to Russia for some time, although Iran disputes this there is very strong evidence to the contrary and Iran is involved. But there is no outcry from the United Nations special rapporteur or other countries that Iran should stop sending missiles and drones. Nor is there any suggestion that Iran be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Iranian rockets and missiles are used in targeting civilian structures such as schools, children’s hospitals and Ukrainian shopping centres in the hope of wearing the Ukrainian public down. Russia by using such tactics is attempting to hold ceasefire talks with the Ukraine government with Russia being in a strong position to have its demands met. A type of medical warfare in the case of hospitals and medical facilities.
On the 18th October 2020 the arms embargo on the Islamic republic of Iran expired allowing Iran to import foreign military equipment. As of the 18th October 2023 the limits imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Iran’s trade in advanced missiles and uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) expired.
 
“Iran would only sell weapons to countries that it is sure “won’t misuse them” and will employ them strictly for defence purposes.” Iran’s defence minister Amir Hatami, in an interview with state television on 18th October 2020 regarding the lifting of the United Nations arms embargo. There is nothing defensive in the war which President Putin is fighting at the moment.
 
During August 2024 numerous open-source reports were published about Iran who they said was to deliver hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia soon. The Voice of America reported, “Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.”
The Iranian United Nations representative denied any reports that Iran was sending hundreds of missiles to Russia in its fight against the Ukraine.  The representative went on to say, "Legally, Iran has no restrictions or prohibitions on buying or selling conventional weapons. But morally, Iran will avoid transferring any weapons, including missiles, that may be used in the conflict with Ukraine until it ends." There are numerous pieces of evidence stating Iran is wrong.
The Sudanese Conflict
On the 30th July 2024 the African Defence Forum published a report that in the past six months, Iran has supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with weapons, a strategy some analysts believe is designed to pave the way for an Iranian naval presence on Sudan’s Red Sea coast. Iran has been looking for a naval port in or around the Red Sea for some time. This would be useful in deploying weapons and logistics to the proxies in the Levant.
To date, Sudan has refused the request for an Iranian helicopter carrier on its coast. However, observers believe the SAF may soften that position as its war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) grinds on.
In a Sky News report (15th April 2024), they publish the statistics of the Sudanese war. According to United Nations agencies...
• More than 8.6 million people have been forced out of their homes
• 25 million are in dire need of humanitarian assistance
• 18 million are facing severe hunger, five million of them are at emergency levels
• 3.5 million children under the age of five - every seventh child in Sudan - has acute malnutrition
The war started on the 15th April 2023. Islam is the most common religion in the Sudan. There is no call from the Islamic Republic for an arms embargo against suppliers of weapons to the factions in the Islamic country of the Sudan. That could be because Iranian drones have been used in the conflict. Evidence again of Iranian involvement and disruption in another country.
There is no call from western governments for an arms embargo against Iran for its supply of munitions in the Sudanese war.
Conclusion
The Republic of South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. They filed the case on the 29th December 2023 with the case being heard on the 11th and 12th January 2024. On the 26th January 2023 the ICJ gave its ruling. The outcome was not what the RSA was hoping for and no genocidal verdict was ruled.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on the 26th May 2024 requested arrest warrants for Hamas Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahin Al-Masri (Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh bore criminal responsibility for murder, hostage taking and extermination. The court also issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant stating they had committed crimes against humanity on the State of Palestine. The ICC clearly does not know the difference between responsibility and defence. The Iranian-backed terrorist group leaders are responsible for the war in the Gaza Strip against terrorist groups Hamas and the PIJ. Defence is what Israel is doing.
There is no country or governing body taking Iran to the ICC or the ICJ for supplying weapons and armaments that Russia is using in its illegal war. On the 11th August 2024 Russian forces used a North Korean missile on an air strike against Kyiv which left a father and son dead. No outcry.
Nor is there any country taking Iran to the ICC or the ICJ. The Islamic State of Iran supplies terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and supplies anti-shipping weapons to Ansarullah (Houthis) who are targeting commercial shipping in the Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea or Iranian drones used in the Sudanese war.
Its clearly not the United States that should be taken before the ICC or the ICJ. That is clearly wrong.
The question the United Nations and other responsible governments should be asking is, “Who is the most disruptive actor in the Middle East? If Iran was to be stopped in its troublemaking actions and its support for terrorist groups then peace would settle in the Middle East.” Until that happens there will always be conflict. The Americans are in place at the request of Arab countries and ensure some form of stability is in place. Iran contradicts that.
 
Paul Ashley
 
 

“It is disgraceful for a nation to have a 35 percent or 40 percent voter turnout, as happens in some of the nations that you see having presidential elections,” Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei said in 2001. “It is obvious that their people do not trust their political system, that they do not care about it and that they have no hope.”
(Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei denounced the United States for its disenchanted electorate in 2001)
 
Introduction
Other events during the end of June and the beginning of July 2024 seemed to take preference when it came to reporting of events around the world. With nothing regarding the election of a new Iranian president.
There was the United Kingdom General Election for a new government which was held on the 4th July 2024 where the population went to the ballot boxes to elect a new prime minister which was a key event. The result was a change in party and a change in prime minster. The British newspaper ‘the Independent’ on the 6th July 2024 who stated that with the last seat still being calculated, turnout has been estimated at 59.8 per cent, the lowest since 2001 (59.4 per cent), and final figures could be lower. This is down by around 7.5 per cent from 2019, when 67.3 per cent of eligible voters showed up at the ballots.
The BBC for the 7th July stated that the turnout across the UK on the 4th July general election as a whole was 60%, the second lowest in a UK election since 1885. Only 2001 was lower with 59%.
There is also the buildup to the United States presidential elections in November 2024. The 60th presidential elections will be held on the 5th November 2024. The current Democratic Party president, Joe Biden, will be running for re-election. Biden and Trump held a televised debate on the 27th June 2024 of which Joe Biden did not fare to well.
There was also the French elections. An early legislative election was held in France on the 30th June 2024, with a second round to be held on 7th July, to choose all 577 members of the 17th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic. The election follows the dissolution of the National Assembly by President Emmanuel Macron, who decided to call a snap election in the aftermath of the 2024 European Parliament election in France in which the National Rally made substantial gains against his L'Europe Ensemble electoral list.
The Euro News on the 7th July 2024 by 1700 hrs on the 7th July turnout was 59.7%, according to France's interior ministry.
With the debate of Trump/Biden and elections in the United Kingdom and the French Republic the Iranian the 9th Presidential election which took place fell below the parapet in regards to news coverage, but as an event it has a significant importance to world affairs as equally as the others.
With the results for the voter turnout showing for both the United Kingdom and the French elections way above the 35 – 40% in which the Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei had said in 2001.
In his own words the people of the United Kingdom and the French cared and believed in what they were voting for and they had hope.
Bearing that in mind we can now look at the ‘free and fair’ Islamic Republic of Iran’s June and July 2024 elections.
28th June 2024 the Islamic Republic of Iran Presidential Elections
On the 19th May 2024 a call came out that a Bell 212 helicopter travelling with the 8th Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, were involved in an ‘incident’ where the helicopter they were travelling in was forced into a ‘hard landing’ an innocent play on a word that meant the aircraft had crashed. The wording may have been changed due to the aging aircraft and not admitting that they were fragile, old and unreliable. Nothing is defective and flawed in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Tehran Times announced the deaths on the following day that the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian had been killed in the crash along with several others. In the interim period of the death of the president and the foreign minister deputies were sworn in until the 28th June 2024 when elections would take place for a replacement president. Once elected he would then announce another foreign minister and possibly rearrange the current Iranian government.
Prior to the deaths of the Iranian president and foreign minister on the 1st March 2024 the Iranians had the chance of voting on two important bodies. The Parliamentary Elections and the Assembly of Experts. Voting was to be run concurrently on the same day. The last time the Iranians went to the ballot box it was for a new president in 2021 when Ebrahim Raisi was elected. On both occasions the voter participation was lower than the regime expected, 40%.
Despite the low voter turnout in this election, it remained a critical moment for Iran’s political landscape, shaping the composition of the Majlis and influencing the country’s future policies. The Tehran government claimed the day was a success.
The 2020 Iranian parliamentary election witnessed a turnout of 42.57% among registered voters, making it the lowest turnout since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This election took place on the 21st February 2020, exactly four years after the previous legislative election in 2016. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second round of the election (to elect eleven seats) was postponed until 11th September 2020.
Not everyone was happy with the voting system. Activists and opposition groups were distributing the hashtags #VOTENoVote and #ElectionCircus widely on the social media platform X, arguing that a high turnout would legitimize the Islamic Republic.
Officials said the participation was “good,” state media reported, but witnesses said most polling centres in Tehran and several other cities were lightly attended.
The Build Up to the Presidential Elections
The Iranian propaganda outlet MEHR ‘News’ Agency claimed on the 27th June 2024 the day before the elections that 61, 452, 321 Iranians were eligible to vote. The current population of the Islamic Republic of Iran is 89,805,784 as of Saturday the 29th June 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Worldometer’ is a reference website that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics.
The timeline for the new presidency would have the applicants for the position register between the 30th May 2024 to the 3rd June 2024. The chosen candidates would be vetted between the 4th to the 10th June 2024. Those who would have been chosen and eligible were to be announced as presidential candidates on the 11th June 2024. There would be an election campaign by those chosen between the 12th June to the 26th June 2024 with the election held on the 28th June 2024.
The Islamic republic in early June stated that enthusiasm surrounding the registration period had not only highlighted the vibrant political environment but also the resilience and unity of the nation in the face of adversity. The Tehran Times wrote and went on, “the surge in candidate registrations for Iran’s presidential election signifies a dynamic and pivotal moment in the country’s political journey. As the election campaign progresses, the nation watches with bated breath, hopeful that this electoral process will usher in a new era of progress, stability, and unity.” Propaganda attempting to give the Iranian population the need to vote.
According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focusing on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East, figures for the post of president had been dropping over the years. The Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that 80 individuals had applied to run on the 28th June emergency election which would replace the late Ebrahim Raisi. Presumably, he was only counting serious registrants, as past elections have drawn vastly more hopefuls: 592 in 2021, 1,636 in 2017, 686 in 2013, 476 in 2009, 1,014 in 2005, and 814 in 2001.
On the 5th June 2024 the Tehran Times announced there were fifteen possible contenders for the presidency.
The Iranian media were set restrictive conditions on the run up to the election. According to the newly published regulations, any content deemed to be aimed at discouraging voter turnout or promoting election boycotts, as well as organizing any form of unlicensed protest gatherings, strikes, or sit-ins, would now be classified as "criminal." The rules mimic previous mandates and carry severe punishments, including the potential for as many as 74 lashes, for those found in violation. The initiative is part of the intense effort by the Iranian government to control the political narrative and suppress dissent amid historically low election enthusiasm due to the widespread disqualifications of candidates and aggressive suppression by authorities of any opposition. Free and fair elections.
Under Clause 74 of Iran’s presidential election law, all media outlets, including print, broadcast, and online platforms, are prohibited from publishing anything deemed to be negative content about election candidates or suggesting that any group or individual withdraw from the race. Violations could lead to severe repercussions, including the temporary shutdown of the offender's media operations and physical punishment for its managers and possibly the authors of such articles.
The guidelines also extend to social media, where the publication of any content deemed as insulting or slanderous against the regime, or that which stirs public discord or spreads false information, is forbidden. The law specifies that no private complainant is required for the prosecution of these offenses, suggesting a proactive approach by the state in monitoring and regulating election-related discourse.
On the 9th June 2024 Iran cleared six candidates for 28th June election to succeed the late President Raisi. In Iran, the supreme leader, rather than the president, holds ultimate authority over all state matters.
The six  that had been chosen by the Guardian Council were:
1.    Current Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf
2.    Former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili
3.    MP Masoud Pezeshkian
4.    Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani
5.    Former interior minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi
6.    Incumbent vice president Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi
 
The leading candidate among those approved is Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf. The 62-year-old had previously run in presidential elections in 2005 and 2013. In 2017, he withdrew from the race to support Raisi, who eventually came in second.
 
Ghalibaf, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, had served as a commander of the IRGC’s air force. He was Tehran’s mayor from 2005 to 2017 and has also served as the chief of the Iranian police forces.
 
After registering his candidacy at the interior ministry earlier this month, Ghalibaf pledged to improve the economy if elected.
 
Mostafa Pourmohammadi had also played a role in the massacre in the 1980’s. He had stated recently, "The narrative of the 1980s is quite different. The people were our supporters, sharing our views. In fact, their demands were more severe, and they called for harsher sentences." Pourmohammadi referred to the execution of political prisoners in the summer of 1988 as "a project of the Islamic Republic.”
 
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said a high voter turnout in the upcoming presidential election makes Iran proud and helps the Islamic Republic overcome its enemies. The Leader made the remarks in an address to thousands of Iranians from the provinces of Tehran, Gilan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Markazi and North Khorasan on the occasion of Eid al-Ghadir and ahead of the Friday presidential election.
In the little time before the elections there was minor enthusiasm for the elections that were forthcoming. Those that had been chosen to stand for the post of president had been accused of dull appearance on state television and engaging in boring interviews without engaging with viewers which failed to motivate them.
Iran International reported, “The interviewers seemed hesitant to ask serious questions about anything. Foreign policy and the nuclear issue are not discussed, suggesting they have been perhaps instructed to avoid sensitive topics. For the first time, state television has openly acknowledged censoring candidates' statements. In at least one instance, the broadcast of an interview with candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was delayed for this reason.”
Iranian MEHR News Agency claimed that 52% were going to vote on the 28th June 2024 and even predicting which candidate would gain the percentage of the votes cast in the ballot boxes.
According to the results obtained from the Parsine survey (published in the government controlled MEHR News Agency 18th June 2024), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would likely get 29% of the votes, and another candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, follows him with 21% of the total votes. Saeed Jalili also would likely secure 18% of the votes and the total votes of other candidates stood at 4%.
However, in order to achieve these results, if true, the turnout of voters would be the key issue for the Tehran government. Why? There are three reasons.
One reason for a high voter turnout would signify a strong support for the government, demonstrating to the people and their enemies that Iran enjoys the backing of the Iranian public. This is crucial for the government as it seeks to project an image of legitimacy and stability both within the country and on the global stage. In other words, a perception of widespread approval could bolster the government’s legitimacy.
The second reason is related to current regional tensions. Amid escalating tensions with Israel and the US, a strong voter turnout can be leveraged, from the perspective of the Iranian leaders, to show that the Iranian people are united and supportive of the government’s stance against external pressures. This would be extremely important should the conflict escalate as it stands a chance of doing so if the Lebanese Iranian-backed Hezbollah is attacked.
Another reason, for the Iranian government, demonstrating a united front through high voter turnout can be crucial in portraying internal stability, particularly in the face of various domestic challenges. Inflation in Iran tends to float around the 50% mark. Staple food requirements are very expensive and there are a number of Iranians who cannot afford to put decent food on the table to feed their families. The previous Iranian president, Raisi, had promised to resolve this but never came close to settling the issue.
There is also the strict problem of the imposing of religious laws such as the wearing of the headscarf which is law in Iran. The death of Masha Amini in September 2022 and the subsequent demonstrations leading to hundreds of deaths have not been forgotten. The Iranian regime failed at the time of those demonstrations to recognise that the youth of today would be the leaders and influencers of tomorrow.
In the aftermath of the demonstrations the Iranian government were still pursuing a hard line on the wearing of the hijab. The government as punishment for the offence caused the imprisonment of thousands of young Iranians, officials had offender’s cars confiscated to punish the individual for not wearing the garment. Businesses had been shut by the officers of the court for conducting business with females who refused to wear the hijab and restaurants were closed because they served females without the head scarf. All potential vote winners.
Voter Persuasion
In order to ‘persuade’ or ‘encourage’ the younger generation to vote one of the first acts they did was to overhaul the death sentence of the Iranian popular rapper Toomaj Salehi who had been jailed for backing nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death. He had been sentenced to death for the charge of “corruption on earth.” The 33-year-old rapper, who was a vocal supporter of the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran was sentenced to death by a court in the city of Isfahan on the 24th April 2024.
Toomaj Salehi has approximately 720, 000 followers on X, has between 2.6 million to 3 million followers on Instagram. Salehi will face a retrial at a later date. But, for his followers it’s a chance for him to live. The Iranian government however, see the delaying of his trial as a vote winner as they have shown mercy. This is not to say that after the presidential vote and after Salehi future trial he will not face the death penalty again. Only next time there will be no election to stop the death sentence if imposed.
The day before the election (27th June 2024) it was announced that two of the candidates had withdrawn, voluntarily, from the presidential race in order to strengthen the other candidates that were left.
Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, 53, dropped his candidacy and urged other candidates to do the same “so that the front of the revolution will be strengthened.” Ghazizadeh-Hashemi served as one of Raisi’s vice presidents and as the head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. He ran in the 2021 presidential election and received some 1 million votes, coming in last place.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani also withdrew, as he did previously in the 2021 election in which Raisi was voted into office.
Such withdrawals are common in the final hours of an Iranian presidential election, particularly in the last 24 hours before the vote is held when campaigns enter a mandatory quiet period without rallies. Voters go to the polls Friday. That left four others.
Boycotts
Whilst the Theocratic government in Tehran attempted to put on a show of resilience with the population of Iran, giving the impression that the populace was really looking forward to placing their vote for the next Iranian president, not all showed their enthusiasm.
Iran International was just one open-source network explaining a different side to the propaganda from the Iranian government.
Several student organizations, women's and youth groups were adding their voices to the growing collective effort to boycott the upcoming presidential election in Iran. Under the banner of "The National Network Woman, Life, Freedom Revolution," the groups issued a collective statement, endorsing organized protests targeting the electoral process. Their initiative included “meeting with families of political prisoners, conducting nighttime chants with slogans in Iran" and advocating for the staging of demonstrations outside of Iranian embassies abroad.
At the same time, Iranian Kurdish families, who had lost loved ones as a result of Tehran's suppression of dissent, also voiced support for the election boycott, denouncing it as a "circus."
“As justice-seeking mothers from Kurdistan, we will persist in our quest for justice until we secure the right to prosecute and punish those who unjustly executed and shot our children. We unequivocally denounce the Iranian regime and reject any participation in what are deemed as mere staged elections,” the families who have lost loved ones during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests said in a statement published on social media.
Building up to the election, over 500 teachers, union activists, and prominent cultural figures in Iran similarly issued a joint statement publicly declaring their decision to abstain from participating in the upcoming presidential elections.
"Engaging in the electoral process, even under the assumption of a victory by a reformist candidate, is futile and does not offer solutions to ongoing issues. Moreover, it risks legitimizing the government and escalating suppression of dissent and protest. Therefore, we announce our refusal to participate in the presidential elections."
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has criticized the election, calling it a facade orchestrated by an oppressive regime.
Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate. She is the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), headed by her fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi. Mohammadi has been a vocal proponent of mass feminist civil disobedience against the hijab in Iran and a vocal critic of the hijab and chastity program of 2023. In May 2016, she was sentenced in Tehran to 16 years' imprisonment for establishing and running "a human rights movement that campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty." She was released in 2020 but sent back to prison in 2021, where she has since given reports of the abuse and solitary confinement of detained women.
In October 2023, while in prison, Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran condemned the decision. Her children received the honour on her behalf.
Several civil and political activists and unions had already united in support of the boycott.
Sepideh Rashno, a writer and civil activist advocating against mandatory hijab, expressed on her Instagram: "There is no future for Iran and its people under the Islamic Republic. The will and resilience of the people has always driven change."
Goljahan Ashrafpour, mother of Akbar Mohammadi, a student activist who died in prison in 2006, conveyed a message from the hospital urging citizens not to participate in the upcoming elections.
She emphasized that the president “lacked authority” and encouraged people to "stay at home on election day" to avoid endorsing what she referred to as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's manipulation of the elections.
Free and fair elections? Human rights groups report that prisoners in Saqqez in western Iran, are being compelled to participate in Friday's presidential election under threat of penalties.
According to the Kurdish human rights organization Kordpa, which shared images of the messages sent to prisoners by the authorites, they are asked to vote on Friday. The message tells prisoners that their families should also vote.
“Failure to participate in the election results in being marked absent, leading to penalties such as three to six months imprisonment or up to 74 lashes based on law governing unverified absences.” Free and fair elections.
Election Day 28th June 2024
Tehran Times. The people of Iran went to the polls on Friday (June 28) to elect the president of the fourteenth government. Iran's enemies claim that elections in Iran are not free.
To understand the nature of elections before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, reflection on these historical statements is useful. Iranian-American Middle Eastern historian Ervand Abrahamian in his book "A History of Modern Iran" writes: "The Shah, along with the Chief of Police, would examine potential candidates and mark them with qualities such as 'suitable' or 'unsuitable,' 'lacking national pride,' 'insane,' 'arrogant,' 'harmful,' 'foolish,' 'dangerous,' 'shameless,' 'stubborn and obstinate,' and 'cowardly.' Suitable names would then be handed over to the Ministry of Interior and through the Ministry of Interior to provincial governors and local electoral committees. The sole duty of these committees was to distribute ballot papers and oversee the ballot boxes; all members of these committees were appointed by the central government. Candidates who insisted on electoral competition would either be imprisoned or exiled."
Acting Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley said "In the face of the authoritarian regime’s long history of harassing and intimidating journalists, suppressing election coverage, and denying freedom of peaceful of assembly, we support the Iranian people."
Iranian candidates are vetted before they can stand for election. The 12-member Guardian Council, whose members are appointed or recommended by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, disqualifies anyone deemed insufficiently loyal to the system.
The vetting process leaves voters with no real choice. Many Iranians seem indifferent to the vetting process itself, having lost faith in the system’s willingness or ability to change through elections.
In reality not a lot has changed from the statement of Ervand Abrahamian as the Guardian Council pretty much indulge in the same way as the Shah was alleged to have done.
The Tehran Times went on to point out, “after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, five elections were held in the first year, and counting the June 28 election, a total of 42 national elections have been held in Iran to date. “Free and competitive elections are one of the Islamic Republic's greatest achievements.”
In another article by the Tehran Times, they condemned “meddlesome” U.S. claims about the presidential election. Abram Paley, the deputy special envoy for Iran at the U.S. State Department had taken to his X social media account to accuse Iran of "suppressing election coverage" and asserted that the election was neither "free nor fair," among other allegations deemed false by Iranian authorities.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, criticized the comments, stating, "American authorities gain nothing from such worthless statements. The Iranian people will firmly respond to these interventionist remarks by participating effectively and enthusiastically in the polls, as they have done in the past." He continued, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and its election organizers view the people's vote as a trust and a fundamental right, which they are obligated to protect."
Iran’s Interior Ministry ordered on the afternoon of polling day that the presidential elections be extended for two more hours beyond the initial time limit. This happened during the last presidential election due to a low turnout and the authorities believing that people had not attended due to other commitments. It was not the case.
Polling stations opened at 8 am on Friday morning and were scheduled to close after 10 hours.
“But the higher-than-expected turnout in the elections was enough to convince the Interior Ministry to extend the voting hours until 8 pm all around the country.” A statement worth remembering.
The Voice of America reported on the 29th June 2024 the nationwide participation rate, as reported by contested data, stands at 40%, marking the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic. The government's claim of a 40% participation rate, based on official statistics announced recently, shows the continuing decline in public engagement in elections under the Islamic Republic.
Iran International gave another side to the electoral turn out. Based on official and unofficial tallies, significant drops in voter engagement were recorded in the capital Tehran and in Kordestan province, both epicentres of recent anti-government protests, as well as in restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, which saw a dramatic 23-percent decrease in turnout.
Gilan province also saw a significant decrease of 24.8 percent, while Khuzestan dropped by 20.4 percent. In contrast, a few provinces showed minor increases, such as Tehran Province, which saw a 10.6 percent rise. However, such increases are overshadowed by the widespread declines.
Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei quote came home to bite from his own words in 2001.
“It is disgraceful for a nation to have a 35 percent or 40 percent voter turnout, as happens in some of the nations that you see having presidential elections,” Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei said in 2001. “It is obvious that their people do not trust their political system, that they do not care about it and that they have no hope.”
The Islamic Republic Guard Corps and their Involvement in the Election Process
As Iranians vote for a successor to the late president Ebrahim Raisi, a new report has highlighted the covert operations of an obscure entity within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that had allegedly been engineering election outcomes to align with the supreme leader’s preferred results.
In an Al-Arabiya News report claimed that a report by US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), titled “Engineering Minds and Votes: The IRGC’s Baqiatallah Headquarters and Its Role in Iran’s Political Landscape,”[1] highlights the Baqiatallah Cultural and Social Headquarters, a little-known branch of the IRGC. According to the report, this headquarters is tasked with developing and executing strategies to align Iran’s political and cultural environments with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s vision of an Islamic society.
The Islamic Republic insists elections in Iran are conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
Authored by UANI’s Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar, the report reveals that since its establishment in 2019, the Baqiatallah Headquarters had been at the forefront of election manipulation and societal control, operating largely unnoticed within Iran’s political framework.
According to the report, the Baqiatallah Headquarters employs a “Middle Ring” strategy, which involves organizing local groups to support and implement the regime’s objectives. These groups serve as intermediaries between the general populace and the regime’s upper echelons, effectively bypassing bureaucratic obstacles to enforce the regime’s directives.
The most critical aspect of election manipulation for the Baqiatallah Headquarters occurs on election day itself, where they mobilize their networks across Iran, especially in rural areas, to influence voter behaviour. This includes paying people to vote in a particular way, intimidating those who may vote otherwise, and maintaining a presence in polling stations to manipulate the process.
“At the polling stations, this is where the most significant part of election engineering takes place because they have the capacity to tamper with the process through their members,” the report said.
5th July 2024 Runoff Election between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative Saeed Jalili
Iran’s Guardian Council has officially validated the results of the nationwide presidential election held on June 28th. The announcement, paves the way for a runoff election scheduled for next Friday, July 5th.
Hadi Tahan Nazif, the council's spokesperson, stated that the body has verified the accuracy and legitimacy of the election, formally notifying the Interior Ministry of this confirmation. He added that despite a designated period for complaints and objections, none were received from either candidates or voters.
The runoff will feature reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative Saeed Jalili, the two candidates who garnered the most votes in the first round of the race. Both hopefuls are allowed to campaign until 24 hours before the runoff begins.
A total of 24,535,185 votes were cast, representing an almost 40% turnout from the over 61 million eligible voters. Pezeshkian received 10,415,991 votes (42.45%), while Jalili secured 9,473,298 votes (38.61%).
While the official voter turnout of 39.92% announced by Iran's Interior Ministry is already a stark indicator of voter apathy among the population, many Iranians were now expressing suspicions that the Islamic Republic might be inflating these already low turnout figures.
Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think tank pointed out that the combined votes of Jalili and conservative parliamentary speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, who came in third, totalled 12.8 million. That figure was well below Raisi’s nearly 18 million votes in the 2021 election. Of the 61 million eligible voters, only about 40 percent cast ballots, marking a record-low turnout in the country where some people have lost faith in the process. More than 1 million ballots were spoiled. The decline in turnout, from around 49 percent in 2021, was “a real embarrassment for the leadership” in Iran, where ultimate political power lies with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mohammad Mokhber, Iran's acting president, praised the Iranian people for their participation in the 28th June presidential election, asserting that the upcoming runoff vote will prove a disappointment to the Islamic Republic's detractors.
Mokhber made these remarks on 29th June 2024, following the initial election round held on the 28th June 2024. The election will see a runoff between Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian on 5th July to determine the successor to the late President Ebrahim Raisi.
The acting president lauded the citizens' participation, calling it "another manifestation of religious democracy."
“I commend you, the Iranian people, for your informed participation in this crucial moment in our country's history. Your active engagement reflects a profound sense of religious democracy and a commitment to upholding the values of our Islamic Republic. As emphasized by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the strength, dignity, and honour of our nation depend on the continued presence and participation of its people,” he said in a statement.
The acting president further asserted that the turnout in the runoff vote will undoubtedly dismay those opposed to the Islamic Republic.
“Undoubtedly, the continuation of this participation and informed presence of the nation in the second round of the national event of the fourteenth presidential election will cause more despair for the enemies of the country and the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will strengthen the power and hope of the supporters of the ideals of the Islamic system worldwide,” he said.
Remember Khamenei’s words? “It is disgraceful for a nation to have a 35 percent or 40 percent voter turnout, as happens in some of the nations that you see having presidential elections,” Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei said in 2001. “It is obvious that their people do not trust their political system, that they do not care about it and that they have no hope.”
 
As the voter turnout for the 28th June 2024 were the lowest on Iranian voting record the Supreme leader again spoke and was recorded by the Tehran Times on the 3rd July 2024. The Supreme Leader was quoted as saying:
 
 “Anyone interested in Islam, the Islamic Republic, the progress of the country, improving the situation, and filling the voids should show their interest by participating in the elections on Friday.” (5th July 2024)
 
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the level of participation in the initial stage of the elections was lower than anticipated and went against predictions. “There are reasons behind this matter which should be examined by sociologists and those involved in politics,” he stated.
 
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution completely rejected the notion held by some that individuals who abstained from voting in the first round of the elections were opposed to the system. He underlined that while it is conceivable that certain individuals may harbour negative views towards specific officials or even the Islamic system, it is completely unfounded to assume that those who did not vote align themselves with such sentiments. “This line of thinking is absolutely wrong,” he remarked.
 
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that there may have been various reasons why some individuals did not participate in the voting, such as personal issues, work, or challenges. He expressed hope that the turnout in the upcoming phases of the polling will be inspiring and bring honour to the system.
 
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution considered the participation of the people as the backbone and source of pride in the system. He underscored that “the better and clearer the participation, the more capable the system will be to achieve its goals within the country and pursue its goals in the strategic framework of the country and this presents as a significant opportunity [for success].”
 
By his own words he was rejecting his original statement in 2001 and making excuses rather than facing the truth.
 
Even when the Supreme Leader is wrong, he is right.
 
The Next Iranian Republic of Iran President.
On the 5th July 2024 the Iranian population again went to the polls to elect the next Iranian president. Tasnim News claimed that the number of voters in the ongoing runoff presidential election of Iran by midday Friday had increased in comparison with the corresponding period in the last week’s polls.
The Elections Headquarters of Iran issued a statement on Friday afternoon, declaring that the ongoing presidential runoff election will be extended for two more hours beyond the initial time limit. Polling stations opened at 0800 hrs on the 5th June and were scheduled to close at 1800 hrs.
The Voice of America (VOA) wrote that, “Polls close in Iran’s presidential election; witnesses report low turnout.” witnesses inside the country said most of those eligible did not turn out to vote. Videos sent to VOA’s Persian Service showed empty voting stations, and numerous eyewitnesses and citizen journalists in Iran reported a low turnout.
Iran’s Interior Ministry had claimed that initial reports showed the turnout was about 50%, which was higher than the first round of voting in June.
"In spite of the low participation numbers, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been relatively successful in creating the illusion of false competition inside the country for an external audience," Kasra Aarabi, of United Against Nuclear Iran, told VOA.
The U.S. says Iran’s elections are not free or fair because its rulers disqualify candidates who are not sufficiently loyal to Khamenei.
Aarabi said there is "no meaningful difference" between Pezeshkian and Jalili "because all strategic policy is determined by Khamenei."
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election Saturday, though many boycotted the event, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani had the final say, he stated, “democracy is an undeniable truth under the Islamic Republic.”
Masoud Pezeshkian Promise
Iran’s stance on regional policies, support for proxies, and approach to nuclear and ballistic missile programs are unlikely to change.
Iran claims that the congratulations for the new Iranian president came from many world leaders. However, do not be led by the term “world leaders.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran considers ‘world leaders’ are from Russia, China, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, President Assad of Syria, Lebanese Hezbollah, The Yemeni Ansarullah (Houthi’s) and Iraqi terrorist groups such as Kata’ib Hezbollah. To name but some, of which various groups are designated as terrorists by the west. Some neighbouring countries would also congratulate the new Iranian president because they are just that, neighbours and prefer appeasement rather than confrontation.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his 12-member Guardian Council, without whose approval candidates are ineligible to run in elections congratulated the winner Masoud Pezeshkian. On the 6th July Khamenei congratulated Pezeshkian and blamed low voter turnout on a campaign “orchestrated by the enemies of the Iranian nation to induce despair and a feeling of hopelessness.” A remark which is normal when the Iranians fall short of the goal that they had set.
The Federation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) reported that more than 600,000 ballots were voided in 5th July’s two-way contest, showing another sign of the rejection of both candidates by the majority of voters.
Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said democracy is an undeniable truth under the Islamic Republic.
Which is all well and good without independent verifications by an honest and legal organisation. Iranian elections are self-governed.
There can be as much praise as you want, but without an independent verification and ‘news’ provided by state-run propaganda outlets it becomes very sceptical regarding the truth as reported by those in charge in Iran.
Around a quarter of those who were eligible to vote elected Masoud Pezeshkian. He had promised in his manifesto:
Called for “constructive relations” with Western countries to “get Iran out of its isolation.”
He pledged to try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)) with the United States and other powers, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief. The former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 calling it the worst deal in history.
Joe Biden in his election manifesto declared that he would rejoin the JCPOA agreement which after many rounds of talks failed to materialise. The agreement had been seen as dead since Iran sold drones to Vladimir Putin in his illegal war with the Ukraine. Iran also provided Russia with the know-how on how to build drones to be used against Ukrainian forces. Both Russia and Iran deny any responsibility.
The Americans and many other countries distanced themselves from Iran over their human rights records which included the treatment of females, highlighted over the death of Masha Amini.
Also, there is Iran’s support for the Hamas war in Gaza against the Israeli’s.
There is also the assistance, weapons and intelligence provided by Iranian IRGC and Iranian backed Hezbollah in the targeting of commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea which Iran denies. Their actions are having a sever action against commercial shipping and on the Egyptian Suez Canal more than anywhere else.
According to Egypt’s Al-Mal News, data released in the middle of June 2024 for May 2024 shows that revenues of the Suez Canal dropped by 64.3% to approximately $337.8 million, compared to $648 million recorded in May 2023.
The number of vessels transiting the canal in May also dropped to 1,111, which is lower than 2,396 ships that crossed during a similar period last year. As a result of reduced ship traffic, the cargo volume passing through the Suez Canal dropped by 68.5% last month to about 44.9 million tonnes. In May 2023, the total cargo tonnage was 142.9 million tonnes.
Red Sea diversions add 1 million tonnes of fuel consumption monthly.
Another factor will be the American presidential elections that will be held in November 2024 in which Donald Trump appears, at the moment, to be leading against the re-election of Joe Biden.
Any future agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program would have to be renegotiated as the parameters of the previous 2015 agreement have since been exhausted. Iran has continued work on its nuclear program since then and still claims it is for peaceful purposes. It is “the only non-nuclear armed country to enrich uranium to 60 percent, close to the 90 percent needed to build a bomb,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and reported by France 24.
In his campaigning, Pezeshkian called for “constructive relations” with Western countries to “get Iran out of its isolation.”
Within Iran, he vowed to ease long-standing internet restrictions and to “fully” oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf on women, a high-profile issue since the death in police custody in 2022 of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been detained for an alleged breach of the dress code, and her death sparked months of deadly unrest nationwide. Pezeshkian, who will hold the second-highest ranking position will have limited power over the police.
The internet is closely monitored by the Tehran government and gets cut off when demonstrations take place in order for the demonstrators to stop relaying messages to one another.
Pezeshkian also pledged to involve more women and ethnic minorities such as Kurds and Baluchis in his government.
He has also promised to reduce inflation, now hovering at around 40 percent, which he says has “crushed the nation’s back” in recent years.
In one debate with Jalili, Pezeshkian estimated that Iran needs $200 billion in foreign investment, which he said could only be provided by mending ties across the world.
Pezeshkian extended his regards to all Iranians. "We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone; we are all people of this country; we should use everyone for the progress of the country."
He will also not lead change in Iran’s contentious relations with Israel, saying after he voted that should he win, he would “try to have friendly relations with all countries except Israel.”
Conclusion
American president Joe Biden administration's Acting Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley said two days before the Iranian elections that candidates are handpicked by the Guardian Council, and voters lack access to the “most basic freedoms; necessary features of any democracy."
Remember the comment from Iran’s interior minister regarding the statement in which they ordered the polling stations to remain open for a further two hours “because of the higher-than-expected turnout in the elections was enough to convince the Interior Ministry to extend the voting hours until 8 pm all around the country.” Their expectations must have been lower than predicted before the elections as there were fewer votes this time round than in 2021 when the late Ebrahim Raisi won and who they were now voting in a replacement after his death in April 2024.
Iran has also proven how it can manipulate the voting process and attempt to control the voter along with denial when they are in the wrong. Persuasive methods and the use of the IRGC goes to show how free and fair Iranian elections can be. Doubts have been raised about the numbers and the veracity of the figures who voted. For example, in the first round, the number of invalid votes was reported to be about 1.06 million. However, in the runoff, this figure nearly halved to approximately 607,000, a difference of around 448,000 votes. Without independent verification, there will always be doubt regarding the honesty of the vote.
Apathy from those eligible to vote and the government of Iran’s despair at the lack of interest and the hope that by keeping the polling stations open a few more hours would lead to more people turning up. The Iranian population cast their vote by not turning up on polling day.
The 28th June 2024 presidential election marked the lowest voter turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic, with only 39.92 percent participation. This breaks the previous record set during the last election, in which the late President Ebrahim Raisi won with a turnout of 48 percent. By that standard it was low.
The people of Iran are certainly showing that they disagree with the Theocratic regime with at least 60% of the population refusing to vote or ruining Ballot cards at the box. The Tehran government make a big play that the elections are the will of the people and boast accordingly. However, if the regime really believed that then they would see that 60% of the population dislike and disagree with the ruling dictatorship that holds power. But the Iranian government will not bow to that, remember, “Revolution before the people.”
Using the run-off to have the public ‘vote’ is an attempt to show the world that Iranian elections are free and fair and can compete with the greatest ‘democracies’ in the world. They fail to see or turn a blind eye to the fact that the world knows that any election process in Iran is a sham with the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council will have already chosen the outcome.
Iran attempts to reinforce the regime’s democratic legitimacy regarding their electoral process. But they are, in reality, an illusion of democracy.
From the day that the elections were announced to the day that the new president was proclaimed everything regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran electoral process is manipulated in favour and preservation of keeping the revolution alive. If they accept that it is not working then everything is a failure.
 
Paul Ashley
 
Additional Information
[1]        Iran Votes In Snap Poll For New President After Hard-Liner’s Death Amid Rising Tensions In Mideast
https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/news/iran-votes-snap-poll-for-new-president-after-hard-liners-death-amid-rising-tensions-mideast
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​“We Do Not Have Political Prisoners in Iran.”
(Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the Chief of Islamic Republic Judiciary, Iran International 4th February 2019)
 
The Origins of Iranian Political Hostage Taking and the Hamid Nouri Prisoner Exchange
 
The Origins of Iranian Political Hostage Taking
Let us not forget where Iranian foreign hostage taking originated. The Iranian revolution or Islamic Revolution started on the 7th January 1978 and ended on the 11th February 1979. In November 1979 an Iranian group calling themselves “The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line” also known as “The Muslim Students of the Imam Khomeini Line” stormed and invaded the United States Embassy Compound in Tehran and captured the staff. The “students” held the 52 United States diplomats and citizens hostage from the 4th November 1979 to 20th January 1981, a total of 444 days.
Although the Iranians claimed they were guests and treated with respect, on release a different story emerged. The hostages were beaten, handcuffed for long periods from a few days to weeks, the endured long periods of solitary confinement, months of not being allowed to speak to another person or leave a certain space unless it was to the toilet. They were threatened regularly with mock executions, beatings and guards playing Russian roulette with the hostages. Some of the individual hostages suffered different psychological and mental tortures. One individual had mail held back from him with the guard asking him if his wife had found someone else. Other hostages were threatened with having their feet boiled in oil or amputation or threatening their families in the United States. In captivity these types of threats would play on an individual’s mind and become a “self-induced pressure” applied by a “system induced pressure” when an individual has little else to focus on in captivity.
In power during the “hostage crisis” episode was Democratic President Jimmy Carter whose administration was responsible for the negotiation and safe release of the hostages. The initial demands by the Iranians for their release were:

1. Expression of remorse or an apology for the United States role in Iran.
2. Unlocking of Iranian assets in America.
3. Withdraw any legal claims against Iran arising from the embassy seize.
4. Promise not to interfere in the future.

Iran threatened to try the hostages as spies and be executed if found guilty should the United States not accept their demands. Eventually the “Algiers Accords of 19th January 1981” was signed and the following arrangements were agreed upon:

1. The unfreezing of $7.9 billion of Iranian assets.
2. Immunity from lawsuits Iran might face in America.
3. A pledge by the United States that “it is and from now on will be the policy of the United States not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Iran’s internal affairs.”

The hostages were released on the 20th January 1981, the day President Carters term ended and Republican President Ronald Regan took office. Politically it was a disaster for Democratic president Carter and gave the Iranian’s a huge triumphal success as well as an immense propaganda coup. This event also showed the Iranians that when it comes to negotiating any terms with the United States they could win.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and their use of Political Hostage Taking
On the 15th June 2024 Arab news outlets led with a story regarding a prisoner swap between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Sweden. Relations between the two countries had been somewhat strained over the years due to Sweden charging and sentencing a member of Iran to a life sentence and Iran taking Swedish citizens in retaliation.
The prisoner exchange had taken place after negotiations held between the two countries and assisted by the Sultanate of Oman. At the time of the news breaking the Iranian prisoner was on his way back to Iran and the two Swedish political prisoners were on their way back to Sweden.
The difference between ‘prisoner’ and ‘political prisoner’ are two different things. The Iranian prisoner had been legally arrested, formally charged with a crime or crimes under the correct use of law, sentenced in accordance with that law and given a prison sentence all within a legal open framework. He would have had legal representation from the beginning whereby their defence can be built before going to trial. The trial would be in an open court with no restrictions on news and media reporting.
On the other hand, the Iranians illegally hold political prisoners in order that they can be used at a later date to gain concessions against another country in order to obtain what they want. Unlike Sweden or many other countries Iran will take hostage and imprison them under trumped up charges and held sometimes for months in solitary confinement, considered mental torture, without any knowledge of their crime.
They will be on a very poor diet with little or no exercise. They will be continually interrogated for hours at a time in an attempt to have the hostage confess to crimes that he/she has been charged with. They will not be allowed contact with the family who often go for months without confirmation that the hostage is being illegally held. The hostage will not be allowed any form of legal representation. At some point that hostage will be allowed to make a confession on a TV channel. The coercion for this may possibly be for better conditions or to be taken out of solitary confinement if they agree to be ‘interviewed’ live on air. Carrot and stick approach. Fail to be ‘interviewed on live TV and you stay in solitary confession. The captive would have little choice.
Then at some point that hostage will be formally charged as they have a live confession on air.
The hostage will have a lawyer picked by the Iranian court who will have had only a few minutes with his ‘client’ before going into the court room and protest their innocence. The trial will be a show trial where every piece of evidence will be in favour of the Iranian court. After the trial is finished the hostage will be found guilty and a sentence handed down.
Depending on the charges the hostage will be sentenced to either 5 years in prison or if the charges are for giving information to Israel or corruption on earth when they cannot find any other reason will be sentenced to death by hanging.
That is roughly how the Islamic Republic of Iran judicial system works in the cases of political hostages.
The Prisoner/Hostage Exchange
The prisoners and hostages being exchanged where Hamid Nouri an Iranian citizen and two Swedish hostages, Johan Floderus and a dual citizen Saeed Azizi. Iran does not recognise dual citizenship.
Floderus, a European Union employee, was arrested in Iran in 2022 and charged with spying for Israel and “corruption on earth,” a crime that carries the death penalty. Johan Floderus was a Swedish diplomat and European Union official. He began working for the European Commission in 2019, serving as an aide to the then-incumbent European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, before joining the European External Action Service two years later. He was arrested in Iran on 17th April 2022, while on holiday and was held captive for over 500 days. Iran had accused him of espionage, a charge that was deemed baseless by Swedish authorities
Saeed Azizi, a Swedish/Iranian dual national, was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security.” He was arrested by Iranian security forces on the 12th November 2023, at his house shortly after his return from Sweden to Iran.
Hamid Nouri
 
Hamid Nouri is an Iranian national who was arrested in Sweden at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport on the 9th November 2019 and underwent trial in Sweden for his alleged actions against Iranian’s who opposed Ayatollah Khomeini after he took control of Iran in 1979. Thousands of people were questioned in 1988. Their fates were sealed on simple questions similar to, ‘who they stood for’ or ‘who they supported’ and ‘their political activities’ did they ‘believe and follow Allah?’ Male and female (although some females were treated differently) were then sent to locations where they were summarily executed.
 
It is believed that there were tens of thousands of people who were exterminated by the death commission but numbers are contested. The murders were on the authority of a 1988 fatwa (a legal ruling on a point of Islamic Law (Sharia)) ordered by Ayatollah Khomeini. One such person who was responsible for the mass murders was the Islamic Republic of Iran’s 2021 elected President, Ebrahim Raisi who recently perished in a helicopter crash on the 19th May 2024.
 
But while many of the participants of the killings have so far escaped justice for this abhorrent act of slaughter, occasionally, one clears the parapet and is caught. No one in the past had been criminally prosecuted for the many deaths in Iran, Nouri was to be the first.
 
Those who supporters of the People’s Mujaheddin of Iran[1] were the majority of those killed but there were others who belonged to leftist factions including the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian[2] which was an Iranian left-wing opposition political party and the Tudeh Party of Iran (Communist Party)[3]. The execution of the political prisoners started on the 19th July 1988 and continued for approximately five months. Those executed were placed on to fork lift vehicles, six at a time or hung from cranes at thirty-minute intervals. These murders were kept hidden and the Islamic Republic of Iran has denied that they took place.
 
Hamid Nouri is one such person who was involved. Nouri was a deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht prison in Iran. He arrived in Sweden in 2019 and was promptly arrested and accused of committing war crimes, charges to which he denied. Nouri was being accused of providing names to prosecutors who were giving out death sentences and taking prisoners to the execution chambers. The Swedish authorities made clear that the charges were being brought under the heading of “universal jurisdiction” whereby Sweden’s national framework on universal jurisdiction “provides the authority to national courts to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed on foreign territory by foreign nationals.” The briefing paper ‘Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Sweden dated April 2020’ states that “it focuses on the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture’.
 
On the 2nd May 2022 the Swedish ambassador was summoned in Tehran to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tehran was protesting at the ‘continued imprisonment’ of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri over “alleged human rights” issues. Tehran was strongly protesting at the baseless and false allegations levelled by the Swedish prosecutor against Iran. The Foreign Ministry’s director general for West European affairs described the court proceedings and detention of Nouri as completely illegal and under the influence of baseless and false moves and claims of the terrorist group of MKO and also condemned the hostile propaganda against Iran. He also called for an end to the political show trial at the Swedish court and ‘demanded’ the release of Nouri, the Iranian citizen incarcerated in the European country. Tasnimne propaganda news outlet claimed that Nouri had been held in solitary confinement for over two years and that his family had been refused access to visit him.
 
On the 5th May 2022 again the Tasnimne news outlet wrote that “the foreign minister of Iran deplored Sweden’s illegal move to keep in custody and put on trial former Iranian official Hamid Nouri, demanding his immediate release.” And, “Tehran considers the detention and the court process against the Iranian national illegal and ‘demands’ his immediate release.” The Iranians were probably more concerned about what Nouri would divulge under questioning and the damning effects this information would disclose.
 
The trial finished in early May 2022 with a verdict expected in July 2022. Nouri clutched a Quran and raised his palms as he told the court on Wednesday, "I hope these hands will be cleared ... with the help of God.” Dramatist. Relations between Sweden and Iran were not going to get better especially as Swedish prosecutors were asking for a life sentence.
 
The Tehran Times got its propaganda machine into full swing and published an article on the 7th May 2022 making a full range and accusations in an attempt to move any public opinion away from why Nouri was imprisoned and the accusations against him. The story began with the family of Nouri claiming that the head of the family had been mistreated whilst in custody that he'd been held in solidarity confinement, physically assaulted by prison staff and that he had been subjected to mental torture. Iranian authorities were stating that the detention of Nouri was unlawful but his family had been harassed by anti-Iran dissidents at the arrival and departure oat the court house. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the detention and trial of Hamid Nouri, an Iranian citizen, illegal and demands his immediate release,” Amir Abdollahian was believed to have said to his counterpart, Ann Linde in a phone conversation.
 
The Times newspaper also went on to say, “the trial of Nouri has become an excuse for some to ignore a historical fact in the history of the MEK terrorist group.” It was time to deflect all facts surrounding the case and blame it elsewhere. Deflection.
 
The MEK had been accused of assisting Iraq during the 1980-1988 war against Iran and attempting to stop the Iranian revolution of 1979. Hence Iran’s bitter distaste against the MEK.
 
An extract from the Tehran Times dated 7 May 2022:
 
“During the arrest and the 90 trials held by the MEK and the Swedish judicial system, the MEK members who testify as witnesses against Nouri have repeatedly claimed that they carried out independent actions and at no time cooperated with the Baathist army under Saddam Hussein's command, and has not fought against the Iranian people. Kenneth Lewis, a lawyer for the MEK terrorist group who appears in court as a witness and plaintiff in the case, disagreed with part of the Swedish prosecutor's indictment, saying, “There was no ‘armed conflict between Iran and Iraq’, and the MEK’s armed conflict with the Iranian government was a "non-international armed conflict." He also acknowledged that there was cooperation between former MEK leader Massoud Rajavi and Saddam Hussein, but stressed that there was no evidence that the MEK was part of the Iraqi army. The allegation comes as there are hundreds of documents, written, oral testimonies and video evidence that Rajavi met frequently with Saddam and other Baathist officials and asked them for financial and military assistance for terrorist acts against Iranians. The culmination of this assistance was manifested in Operation Forough Javidan. "As you know, I was in Paris from 1981 to 1986," Rajavi said in a meeting with General Tahir Jalil, head of the Iraqi General Intelligence Agency in 1999, referring to previous relations of the MEK group with the U.S. and France. “In those years ... we were not called terrorists, even though they knew who blew up the Republican Party’s Headquarters in Iran ... they knew who and what destroyed the president and prime minister of the regime. Both the White House and the Elysee Palace, with which we were in contact, knew well, but they did not call us terrorists at all,” he said. MEK not only fought against Iran along with Saddam’s army, they were also used as a tool by the Saddam regime to suppress Shia opponents in the south and the Kurds in north.”
 
Although it is believed that the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK) assisted in Nouri’s arrest and that there were protesters outside the court house there is no mention of their involvement in the charges against Nouri nor the involvement of the MEK with Saddam Hussein. All this was a clear technique of diverting the blame elsewhere by the Iranian authorities. The report could go no further nor could it be allowed to give the truth as to why Nouri had been arrested, sent to trail and found guilty. To do so would be an admission of guilt that it had murdered thousands of Iranian people for no real reason at all. Although some of the points in the article is correct they had nothing to do with Nouri nor his involvement in the killings by Iranian authorities after the revolution.
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran has to Take its Revenge
 
Johan Floderus a member of the EU diplomatic corps had been covertly detained in Iran for over 500 days as part of Iran's hostage diplomacy, it was reported in the New York Times and Iran International on the 4th September 2022.
Johan Floderus, 33, who worked for the European Union's diplomatic corps, was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2022 as he prepared to depart the country after what was described as a private tourist trip with friends. In July 2022, the Iranian government released a statement announcing that it had apprehended a Swedish national for espionage who was being held in Evin prison, however they did not disclose any further details. The New York Times spoke to six individuals with first-hand knowledge of the case, who all confirmed that Floderus’ had nothing to do with any espionage claims.
The European External Action Service, the diplomatic service for which Floderus worked confirmed that they have been following the case very closely and that his arrest “underlines the very concerning tendency of Iranians to use EU nationals or Iranian dual nationals as pawns for political reasons."
The following day EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed the prisoner’s name and that he worked for the EU diplomatic corps. “I want to say something about, if you allow me, a specific case, the case of Mr Floderus. He’s a Swedish citizen who worked for the European Union and has been detained illegally in Iran for the last 500 days.”
Member of the European Parliament Hannah Neumann along with others expressed their concern stating, "we have some questions regarding the hostage-taking case of Johan Floderus."
Iran’s judiciary confirmed through the Arab News on the 12th September 2023 confirmed that a Swedish national working for the European Union had been detained. Sweden and the European Union Commission said last week a Swedish national was being detained in Iran. Sweden said Johan Floderus was detained in April 2022 for what his family said was alleged spying.
“The Swedish national has been lawfully imprisoned following a preliminary inquiry and the results of a full investigation into his case made by the prosecutor’s office will be sent in the coming days to a competent court,” Iran’s judiciary spokesperson, Masoud Setayeshi, said. The spokesperson did not detail the precise charges faced by Floderus. Relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since 2019 when Sweden arrested a former Iranian official for his part in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners in the 1980s. He was sentenced to life in prison last year, prompting Iran to recall its envoy to Sweden in protest.
In December 2023 it was announced that an Iranian court had begun the trial of a Swedish national employed by the European Union who was detained last year, Sweden’s foreign minister said. “I have been informed that the trial of Johan Floderus has begun in Tehran,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish news agency TT. “The Swedish charge d’affaires was at the court but was refused the right to participate in the trial. Sweden has ... requested the right to be present when the trial resumes.”
Rights groups and Western governments have accused the Islamic Republic of trying to extract political concessions from other countries through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up. Tehran says such arrests are based on its criminal code and denies holding people for political reasons.
Iranian authorities had accused the Swedish EU diplomat, held in a Tehran prison for more than 600 days, of conspiring with Israel to harm Iran, the judiciary said. “Johan Floderus is accused of extensive measures against the security of the country, extensive intelligence cooperation with the Israeli regime, and corruption on earth,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency said.
Corruption on earth is one of Iran’s most serious offenses, which carries a maximum penalty of death. “The defendant has been active against Iran in the field of gathering information for the benefit of the Israeli regime in the form of subversive projects,” Mizan quoted the prosecution as saying.
The Swedish diplomat had been denied any kind of contact with his family during his first ten months in prison, while also receiving limited consular visits from the Swedish Embassy in Tehran. The conditions under which he was incarcerated were considered to be in violation of the United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners: reportedly, among other aspects, he had been detained in solitary confinement for over 300 days and, more generally, held in a constantly fully-lit cell; he had been denied of "basic human rights", including minimum food and medical support; he had been permitted only three-and-a-half hours of exposure to fresh air and sunlight per week; he had been significantly restricted in receiving letters and books, or sending correspondence. The family also stated that Floderus had finally been allowed to make phone calls to his family once a month since February 2023, and that he had chosen to go on hunger strike in order to raise their frequency, although the calls had to be held in English and had been subject to monitoring. On the 7th August 2023, the diplomat had been granted his first video call with his family, where he had reportedly made "a desperate plea", asking to raise efforts to free him and allow him to return home.
As of January 2024, no date had been set for the verdict as of the latest available information. After the trial had finished the Iranian prosecutors were seeking the maximum penalty (death penalty) for the man accused of spying for Israel.
Then on the 15th June 2024 there came the news of the prisoner/hostage swap.
Propaganda Value
Nothing financial had changed hands but the propaganda value is immense. Tasnim News concentrated on how Nouri was returning from a Swedish prison. The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Iran Nasser Kanaani said the liberation of Nouri, who had been imprisoned by Sweden under a plot masterminded by the Zionist regime and carried out by the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), has manifested Iran’s “diplomacy of might” in the fulfilment of its national interests and supporting the rights of Iranian citizens. There was no mention of how his release was obtained nor of the two Swedish hostages.
Tehran Times: Iran’s top human rights official has confirmed the release of Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official who had been detained in Sweden since 2019. Kazem Gharibabadi, head of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights, announced Nouri’s release via a post on his X account on the 15th June 2024.
"I am delighted to inform the esteemed nation of Iran that Hamid Nouri, who has been under detention in Sweden since 2019, has been released and will be returning to our country within a few hours," Gharibabadi stated.
Gharibabadi credited Nouri’s release to the persistent efforts of colleagues in the Judiciary, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. Nothing about sentencing an innocent man to death and putting pressure on a government in order to secure Nouri’s release.
The Times continued, Nasser Kanaani noted that Nouri's release from an illegitimate Swedish court ruling was achieved through persistent political, legal, and consular efforts by Iran's diplomatic apparatus, judiciary, and other relevant authorities.
He also emphasized the importance of acknowledging the special attention given by late President Ebrahim Raisi and the continuous efforts of the late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in securing Nouri's release.
The spokesman stressed that after enduring 1,680 days of unjust captivity, which violated fundamental human rights, Hamid Nouri has finally returned to his homeland and reunited with his patient family and loved ones.
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA): Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has said that securing the release of Hamid Nouri demonstrated Iran’s strong diplomacy in safeguarding its national interests and strong support for the rights of the Iranians.
MEHR News Agency: Released Iranian national Hamid Nouri, who was illegally imprisoned in Sweden, arrived in Tehran on Saturday and spoke to media at the Iranian capital airport about his illegal detention in Sweden and had a message to MKO.
"The case was very difficult, complicated, important, sensitive, anxious and worrisome, and it took a lot of effort, and with the prayers of my family, dear people, friends, and colleagues, I am sure that the prayers were effective and God assisted in my case," Nouri said talking to reporters at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
"A message for the terrorists, Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), and especially the child-killing Israel, who were very pleased with my case. I am Hamid Nouri and I am in Tehran just before Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Ghadir and the day of Arafah,"
There was nothing in any of the propaganda reports stating that Johan Floderus had been illegally detained and wrongfully sentenced to death prompting the Swedish authorities to release Nouri for the safe return of two of their citizens. That truth was hidden from the Iranian public.
Other Cases of the Islamic Republic of Iran Using Political Hostages
Kylie Moore-Gilbert
Iran’s criminal code and denies that it holds hostage people for political gains. There are cases that show that this statement is incorrect. A clear example of this, was the case against Kylie Moore-Gilbert.
British-Australian scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert was serving a ten-year sentence on ‘espionage charges’ and had been held in Evin prison. Although her arrest was announced in September 2019 her family stated that she had been held months before the authorities admitted to her detainment. She had been arrested in September 2018 at Tehran airport as she was departing the country having attended a conference. She was conducting research into revolutions in the Middle East in particular Bahraini politics and protests. Moore-Gilbert was held in Evin prison where she was held in solitary confinement (White Torture), used as a type of mental torture. She was arrested on trumped up espionage charges because she was in a relationship with an Israeli. The Iranian justice system created charges against her which were false and she denied. The alleged evidence against her ‘crimes’ were never made public. State-run TV stated that she had been recruited as an Israeli Mossad agent. The Iranian authorities accused her of collaborating with a former Bahraini MP who asked her to spy for the Al-Wefaq party. These methods are used to break down a person’s resolve and make them vulnerable to signing confessions, confessing on video to be exploited later or give information. She said she felt hopeless and isolated. The Iranians also attempted to recruit Kylie Moore-Gilbert to become their spy and they would then set her free. Another carrot and stick approach. In November 2020 she was exchanged for three Iranians who had been held in Thailand and were arrested and sentenced for a failed bomb attack in February 2012 in Bangkok. The intention of the Iranian assassination team involved was to kill Israeli diplomats in Thailand. The day before the attempt to kill Israeli’s in Bangkok there were other attacks on Israelis in different parts of the world by Iranian agents. Fortunately, on this occasion, the Iranians scored an own goal when one of the devices exploded in their safe house injuring one member. They all fled but were arrested. Iran denied any involvement when they were accused by Israel. Considering that Iran denied any involvement in the incident the Islamic Republic of Iran were happy to incarcerate Kylie Moore-Gilbert and later use her in an exchange for three of their own.
It’s not just people that Iran hold hostage.
In June 2021 Iran paid off some of the $16.2 million debt to the United Nations from funds frozen by United States sanctions that were held in South Korea. Iran blamed the ‘illegal US sanctions’ for the delay and for depriving the Iranian people of medicines, which is incorrect as US sanctions do not cover sanctions on Iranian medical requirements. At one point Iran held hostage the South Korean merchant ship MT Hankuk Chemi on alleged charges of “polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals”. It was strongly believed that the vessel was held in order to force the South Korean government to release the $7 billion in Iranian money, most of which was for past oil exports. The money had been frozen because of United States sanctions on Iran. In April 2021 the merchant vessel was released. The Islamic Republic of Iran denied that it had held the vessel in order to force the South Koreans to release the money owed. But later the Iranians manged to pay off some of the debt to the UN with money released after keeping the merchant vessel hostage.
Political Hostages for Sale
There is a “for sale” sign up by the Tehran government for political hostages held illegally in Iran. It could have started with Anousheh Ashouri Nazanin and Zaghari-Ratcliffe, dual British/Iranian nationals, both had been arrested, detained and jailed on false accusations. In March 2022 the two UK political hostages were purchased back by the United Kingdom government for £400 million, a debt owed to the Shah of Iran before the theocratic government of Tehran took over. Saeed Khatibzadeh Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said there has been no link between Britain’s payback of its debt to the Islamic Republic and the freedom of two dual British-Iranian nationals.
Then there is the prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium. Belgium passed a prisoner exchange law in order to bring home a wrongfully arrested and charged Olivier Vandecasteele. He had been arrested because of Assadollah Assadi who was an Iranian serving as a diplomat in Austria and was caught out of bounds and involved in a proven terrorist charge against the NCRI in Paris.
In May 2023 France managed to exchange three prisoners with Iran without concessions.
Next, we have the August 2023 purchasing of US/Iranian political hostages by the United States. On the 10th August 2023 Arabic websites announced a deal had been struck between Iran and the United States Democratic Administration of Joe Biden. The deal was that Iran would ‘sell’ back five Iranian/American dual national hostages for the release of $7 billion from South Korea where it had been held since sanctions were imposed in 2018 along with the exchange of five Iranian prisoners. The funds would only be accessible for food and medicine and no sanctions relief. Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “The Islamic Republic will decide how to use the released funds, and these funds will be appropriated for the various needs of the country by the appropriate authorities.” It is up to "the Islamic Republic and competent Iranian authorities" to determine the manner of application of the unfrozen funds, the statement said. None of any money released to Iran finds its way to the Iranian population.
In 2015 the Democrat Obama administration in order to secure the nuclear agreement with Iran paid the Iranians $1.7 billion which secured the release of four American political hostages held in Iran. Obama also exchanged 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful and freed another seven. But the real bargaining started in 1979 when the Democrat administration of Jimmy Carter bought back the 52 American hostages of 1979. A total of $9.5 billion was paid to Iran. The question is, is the taking of political prisoners by Iran a lucrative business? Certainly, the next question that has to be asked is, “who else is holding Iranian funds and will more political hostages be kidnapped and held to ransom?”
Who is winning the political hostage battle?
“The Islamic Republic has a long-running strategy of arresting those with ties abroad to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West, although Iran has always denied holding prisoners for this reason.”
(ITV News 15th June 2024)
 
Conclusion
 
The negotiation of Johan Floderus, and Saeed Azizi, for the release of Hamid Nouri are just another chapter in Iranian ‘hostage diplomacy’ aimed at gaining concessions for its own demands. Will this trend continue? Of course. It is a successful way of achieving what they want from governments who are weak and do not stand up to them. As long as they fail to do this, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to exploit this means of gaining a greater influence over their enemies. This style of using dual nationals or western citizens will be the future for Iran when taking political hostages. Iran now knows that certain countries can be bought when it comes to negotiating political prisoner negotiations and swapping for concessions. Those countries involved have now set a dangerous precedent in which future political hostage taking and negotiating has been set.
Paul Ashley
 
Further Information:
[1]        Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK). https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/mujahadeen-e-khalq-mek
[2]        Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian. https://dbpedia.org/page/Organization_of_Iranian_People's_Fedaian_(Majority)
[3]        The Wilson Centre Digital Archive. https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/topics/irans-tudeh-party
 
 
 
 
 

​“President Raisi played a pivotal role in shaping our multilateral system and fostering international cooperation.”
(UNGA President Dennis Francis Tehran Times, 31st May 2024)
 
The “Butcher of Tehran” is Dead, Long Live the Legacy of the “Hangman of Tehran”
On the 19th May 2024 the call came out that a Bell 212 helicopter travelling with the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, were involved in an ‘incident’ where the helicopter they were travelling in was forced into a ‘hard landing’ an innocent play on a word that meant the aircraft had crashed. The wording may have been changed due to the aging aircraft and not admitting that they were fragile, old and unreliable. Nothing is defective and flawed in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Bell 212 is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968 and had been developed for the Canadian military in the late 1960s as an upgrade of the original UH-1 Iroquois. The Bell 212, said to have been operated by the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran by local media, was likely purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. the US arms embargo against the Islamic Republic's government and the rebranded Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force soon saw most Western-made aircraft fall into disrepair. The Tehran regime, however, continued to operate a limited number of aircraft by cannibalising the existing fleet and reverse-engineering the much-needed parts.
The following day after the Tehran Times reported that the president’s helicopter had come down close to a copper mine called Sungun. It’s located in between Jolfa and Varzaqan in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran and it’s roughly between 70km (43 miles) to 100km (62 miles) away from the city of Tabriz, one of the largest cities in Iran and also the city that the president of Iran and foreign minister were headed toward.
The president and his entourage had been visiting the border between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The reason for the president of Iran and the president of Azerbaijan,  Ilham Aliyev was to officially inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi dam, constructed jointly by Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic. It had been an important collaboration as there had been a great deal of friction between the two countries for some time. Both countries were trying to rebuild a tattered friendship. Iran, had attempted to overthrow Azerbaijan because of its friendship with the State of Israel and that Iran and Azerbaijan share a border with one another.
The Qiz-Qalasi dam is located in the Khoda Afarin region in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan. With a capacity of 62 million cubic meters, it will supply water to the irrigation and drainage networks of Khoda Afarin county. A hydroelectric power station coupled with the dam has also been designed to generate 270 MWh of electricity per annum.
The area that the aircraft had crashed was mountainous with poor weather hampering the location of the crashed aircraft. Visibility was poor so drones could not be used to locate the downed craft. Initially it was reported that up to 40 rescue teams had been deployed in order to locate the helicopter. Rain was making the going difficult due to the muddy terrain that had to be covered.
The Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei declared five days of public mourning following the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in the helicopter crash in northwestern Iran. “In this bitter tragedy, the Iranian nation lost a warm-hearted, humble and valued servant,” said Ayatollah Khamenei, adding that President Raisi never stopped his hard and round-the-clock work for the people of Iran despite being faced with criticisms of ill-wishers.
Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed sadness over the death of other senior officials who were with President Raisi in the helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as well as Tabriz Friday prayer leader Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem and the provincial governor of East Azerbaijan province, Malek Rahmati.
The others on board who also died in the crash were identified as IRGC Brig-Gen Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi, the head of the president's security team, pilots Col Mohsen Daryanush and Col Seyyed Taher Mostafavi, and technician Maj Behrouz Qadimi.
Interim Period
According to Article 131 of the Constitution of Iran, in case of death, dismissal, resignation, absence, or illness lasting longer than two months of the president, or when his term in office has ended and a new president has not been elected due to some impediments, or similar other circumstances, his vice president shall assume, with the approval of the Leader, the powers and functions of the president.
In case of the death of the vice president, or other matters which prevent him from performing his duties, or when the president does not have a vice president, the Leader shall appoint another person in his place. Iran legally had 50 days in order to elect a new president. Presidential elections would be held on the 28th June 2024.
The Iranian constitution was amended in 1989, when important changes were instituted.
In the period that followed the deaths of the two key political offices it was announced that the vice president Mohammad Mokhber would become the interim president. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “Based on Article 131 of the Constitution, Mr. Mokhber would take over the position of the management of the executive power and he is tasked along with the heads of the judicial and legislative powers to arrange an election to elect new president maximumly within 50 days.” While Raisi held the title of president, his authority was constrained by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, within whom ultimate power is vested in the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Guardian Council spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif announced that according to the Constitution, the vice president will take over as interim president with the Leader’s approval. Tahan Nazif in an interview on the 20th May 2024 said that with the Leader’s approval, a council consisting of the Iranian judiciary chief, parliament speaker, and vice president will take measures to hold elections within 50 days.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri was appointed on the 20th May 2024 as acting foreign minister. The appointment of Bagheri, who served as deputy foreign minister under the previous foreign minister, Amir-Abdollahian, was announced by government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi on state television.
According to the Iranian political hierarchy, the head of the state is the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and the president is considered the head of the government, the second-in-command.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said, “The Iranian nation shouldn’t be worried. There will be no disruption to the operations of the country.”
Celebrations
Social media inside the Islamic Republic is somewhat limited and controlled by the government.
Voice of America (VoA) reported, that the head of Iran’s cyber police warned against that type of social media activity, saying "we are carefully monitoring cyberspace" and advising citizens that "in the current sensitive situation" they should "refrain" from publishing content that "provokes" public sentiments.
But away from the censorship others gave their reaction.
Iran International[1] which is owned by Volant Media UK Ltd. It is licensed in the United Kingdom to Global Media Circulating Ltd as an editorial news service based in London and is managed by DMA Media Ltd circulated an article of Iranians celebrating the deaths of the prominent leaders.
The news outlet claimed that Iranians around the world were celebrating at the disappearance of Raisi and Abdollahian.
NBC News stated that although some were shocked by the news others were different. Social media inside the Islamic Republic is somewhat limited and controlled by the government.
Remarks such as:
“Goodbye to the butcher of Tehran. You will not be missed!”
“His death is karma at its finest but for a mass murderer, this swift end may seem far too easy,”
“The once untouchable tyrant meets a fate he often dealt to others,”
VoA provided videos posted to social media and shared with VOA Persian showing Iranians dancing to music in London, Copenhagen, The Hague, and Hamburg.
The Israeli government had yet to make an official statement regarding the death of top Iranian officials. However, Israeli politicians celebrated the death of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, his foreign minister and other officials that had perished in the helicopter crash. Avigdor Lieberman, former defence minister and leader of the opposition right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, told the Ynet news site that Israel “will not shed a tear for the death of the Iranian president.”
Former US Vice President Mike Pence said “the world is a safer place” without him. Pence wrote, “Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is dead and the world is a safer place. Raisi was responsible for the murder of thousands of Iranian political prisoners he ordered executed in 1988, 1,500 Iranians slaughtered in the 2019 protests and the years of terrorist violence sown by Iran across the region that claimed American lives.”
US-based Reza Pahlavi, whose father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ousted in the 1979 Islamic revolution and died in exile in 1980, warned the death of Raisi would not affect the policies of the Islamic republic at home or abroad.
“Today, Iranians are not in mourning. Ebrahim Raisi was a brutal mass-murderer unbefitting of condolences,” Pahlavi said in a post on his official Instagram. “Sympathy with him is an insult to his victims and the Iranian nation whose only regret is that he did not live long enough to see the fall of the Islamic republic and face trial for his crimes,” the former crown prince added which was reported in the Arab News.
Condolences and Sympathises
On the other side numerous world leaders gave their condolences to the loss of life. Regional leaders sent their sympathises including the Popular Resistance Committees, a coalition of Palestinian resistance groups, “have honoured the memory of the martyrs President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian.”
According to the Iraqi Al-Nujaba TV, the Popular Resistance Committees issued a statement on Monday, announcing, "With deep sorrow and grief, we honour the memory of Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, and their accompanying delegation, who were martyred in the painful incident of the helicopter crash."
The committees also emphasized that Palestine and its people and resistance would never forget the services that martyrs Ayatollah Raisi and Amirabdollahian rendered for the Palestinian nation and cause.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas expressed its condolences over the martyrdom of President Raisi and his accompanying delegation to the Supreme Leader, the government, and the people of Iran.
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convened a plenary session on the 30th May 2024 to express condolences to the Iranian government and people following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
The session began with a moment of silence and included remarks from UNGA President Dennis Francis, who commemorated the Iranian officials who lost their lives in a helicopter crash on the 19th May.
“President Raisi played a pivotal role in shaping our multilateral system and fostering international cooperation,” Francis noted, also praising Amir Abdollahian as “a consummate diplomat.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that Raisi “led Iran during a challenging period for the country, the region, and the world.”
Burundi’s UN Ambassador Zéphyrin Maniratanga, representing African nations, lauded Raisi as a “dedicated leader who served his nation and promoted international cooperation, particularly with African countries.”
“Raisi was a visionary whose commitment to equity, solidarity, and multilateralism was evident throughout his leadership,” he added.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, spoke on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), highlighting Raisi’s contributions to the OIC’s mission, including advocating for Palestinian rights.
“Through the late President’s leadership and the support of other OIC leaders, the Organization has become a stronger force for global peace, security, and prosperity,” Akram said.
The Tehran Times reported; Throughout his presidency, extending from August 3, 2021, to May 20, 2024, the martyr was keen to revitalize the Islamic nation and reduce the artificial gaps by promoting unity and rapprochement.  During his tenure, the Islamic Republic also took advanced steps in normalizing bilateral ties with its opponents and reassuring them that there was no truth to the American myth of an “alleged Iranian ambition” in West Asia.
For his part, the unprecedented diplomat, Dr Amir Hossein Abdollahian, had, since the onset of the “Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” multiple tours as he moved between Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad, Riyadh, Doha, Muscat, Beijing, etc., stressing Iran’s position in support of the Palestinian people, and seeking to unify Arab and Islamic viewpoints.
The Blame Propaganda
Mohammad Javad Zarif, former Foreign Minister of Iran, blamed American sanctions on aviation parts for the crash of a chopper carrying President Ebrahim Raisi.
In an interview with state TV, he said the sanctions compromise Iran's access to modern aviation facilities, thus implicating the US in the Sunday chopper crash in northwestern Iran killing Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
"One of the culprits behind yesterday’s tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts," Zarif asserted during the interview.
But, in spite of sanctions, Iran continues to manufacture and supply its own armed forces and proxies around the region, in addition to Russia, with state-of-the-art missiles and drones. Armed groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran’s own Quds Forces boast long range high-tech weaponry.
The Tehran Times issued a brief report on the helicopter crash on the 24th May 2024. The Iranian Armed Forces have issued an initial report on the helicopter crash that resulted in the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation.
An investigative team dispatched to the crash site on Monday has gathered significant information regarding potential contributing factors, according to the report released on the 23rd May 2024.
The report reveals that the helicopter was following its designated flight path when it crashed into mountainous terrain. It caught fire upon impact, but no evidence of gunfire or other external damage was found on the wreckage.
Iranian drones located the crash site at 05:00 a.m. on Monday, and rescue teams arrived shortly thereafter. Communications between the aircraft and ground control prior to the incident showed no irregularities. The Armed Forces emphasize that the investigation is ongoing, and any further findings will be communicated to the public.
Who was Ebrahim Raisi?
Butcher of Tehran
In July 1988 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini authorised a fatwa[2] to establish a three man committee in each of the thirty-one provinces. Each team was to consist of a Sharia (Islamic law) judge, an intelligence ministry official and the provinces prosecutor general or his deputy. In the capital of the new Islamic Republic of Iran’s capital, Tehran, the prosecutor general was Morteza Eshraghi, Tehran’s prosecutor general, with Ebrahim Raisi serving as Eshraghi’s deputy which enabled him to become a de facto member of that committee. The group were informally dubbed the Tehran “Death Committee.”
The death committee oversaw mass executions in 1988. It was believed that the government of Tehran murdered a minimum of 5,000 ‘political’ prisoners during that period  under the direction of the four man Death Committee. Over a period of approximately two months the Death Committee were responsible for hanging a minimum of 100 people a day. A great deal of those who were killed were mostly in their twenties, a few others were young teenagers or in their thirties.
In July 1988 interrogations[3] took place with certain questions asked such as, if they would publicly plead “guilty” of treason, denounce the actions their colleagues, spy for the Iranian regime, participate in regime firing squads, or run through minefields at the Iran-Iraq war front. If a prisoner said no to any of these questions, he or she would be condemned to death. Those condemned were either killed by firing squad or hanged. The mass executions came to end in September 1988.
On the 1st May 2018 Raisi broke his silence on the massacres. Raisi publicly defended the mass killings, albeit in coded language, in a lecture which was documented by Amnesty International. He did not dispute his presence at a meeting on the issue but noted that “during the period [in question], I was not the head of the court… The head of the court issues sentences whereas the prosecutor represents the people.” At the same time, using the word “confrontation” in apparent reference to the mass killings, he regarded them as “one of the proud achievements of the system” and praised Ruhollah Khomeini as a “national hero,” thereby pushing the onus of the responsibility for the killings towards the dead leader.
Ebrahim Raisi earned his nicknames’ ‘the Hanging Judge’, ‘the Hangman of Tehran’ and the ‘the Butcher of Tehran’ from this period.
He served as Tehran’s prosecutor-general from 1989 to 1994, deputy chief of the Judicial Authority for a decade from 2004, and then national prosecutor-general in 2014.
During the period of 27th July 2004 to the 23rd August 2014 Raisi was the 2nd Deputy Chief of Justice of Iran. The office is responsible for the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The 2021 Presidential Elections
There’s no political spin like dictatorship political spin. On the 18th June 2021 Iran went to the poles to elect a new president. Iranians were encouraged to turn out and vote; Commander of the Iranian Army Major General Mousavi stated that a high turnout would reduce foreign threats, but no specifics were given. And on the 17th June 2021 the outgoing president, Khamenei stated that the elections were ‘democratic’! On the 18th June 2021 the 13th presidential election was held and the winner was Ebrahim Raisi who was tipped to win even before the first vote was cast. There was no competition. The Iranian unelected Guardian Council ensured that. Figures released after the winner was announced stated that 28.6 million ballots had been counted of which 17.8 million votes were for Raisi. Eligible voters in Iran were 59, 310,000. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency estimated that the turnout would be above 40% which would be the lowest since the 1979 Revolution. Many stayed at home wondering what was the point in voting. But, with all these figures the outgoing Iranian president rescued credibility by stating that there was an ‘epic participation’ disappointing their enemies. The election only matters to the masters of Iran not the people.
Raisi was inaugurated to the 8th president of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 3rd August 2021.
Demonstrating under the Raisi Presidency
The death of Mahsa Amini on the 16th September 2022 by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ‘morality police’ over the wearing of a headscarf (hijab) caused a possible upset that could have been even greater than the fuel protests of 2019-2020 (bloody November) and the Green Movement of 2009. “The death of the young girl also broke our heart,” said the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on the 3rd October 2022 at a graduation ceremony of cadet officers. So much so that the enquiry by his officials cleared those responsible of any wrong doing.
The theocratic Revolutionary Forces of Iran’s anti-riot police shot defenceless demonstrators with live rounds or metal pellets. The Iranian regime continuously lied to the Iranian people as to who was rightfully to blame for the death of Amini and attribute the culpability to the Kurds, the Israelis, the Americans and others who decided to stand up to the Islamic Republic regime.
Those responsible for hiding the truth had killed innocent civilians including women and children in Iraq and Iran’s autonomous region of Kurdistan. Many countries who are free due to their constitution and who are able to demonstrate in a free manner without the threat of being shot or disfigured showed their support against the murder of the Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini by demonstrating outside Iranian embassies around the world. Those demonstrations stood against the tyranny that led the Islamic Republic of Iran and those who govern.
The world had shown the leadership of Iran that they stood with the murdered girl and not the theocratic government of the Islamic Republic nor the Raisi presidency. Females from around the globe showed their support against a country of those who desired to dominate and control one half of the human race, the female population. The Iranian government had shown no remorse for Amini but had the greatest respect for the police who shown no mercy when it came to unarmed and vulnerable demonstrators who strongly wanted a change in the law and if nothing else then to respect females and their human rights.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i an Iranian conservative politician, Islamic jurist and prosecutor who currently serves as Chief Justice of Iran Iran’s Forensic Medicine claimed “today, it is obvious to everyone that the death of a girl was completely an excuse.”
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian the Foreign Minister who died in the helicopter crash said, "who believes that the death of a girl is so important to Westerners?"
The callous use of words and phrases give an indication of the regime under Raisi. The quote from Ejei when he stated, “the death of a girl was completely an excuse.” He cannot even say her name. Then Abdollahian when he said, “who believes that the death of a girl is so important to Westerners?" Neither show any remorse about Amini.
Riot police when attempting to stop the demonstrations used not just live rounds but also pellet cartridges in shotguns. These weapons were pointed at teenagers and fired at point blank ranges. The aiming points were the eyes and the genitals in order to disfigure the youngsters and in the case of females an attempt to stop them having children.
The Norway-based non-profit organisation Iran Human Rights reported that 537 protesters were killed by state security forces, while the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates more than 19,400 individuals were arrested.
The United Nations on the 18th March 2024 reported, that there are “credible figures” that indicate there were 551 deaths, at least 49 women and 68 children, “and we found that those occurred in 26 out of the 31 provinces of Iran over multiple months”, the Mission found.
Ms. Hossain explained that many protesters “removed their hijab in public places as an act of defiance against long-standing discriminatory laws and practices”.
Men and boys joined in the protests in solidarity too, the Council heard, along with minorities who demanded equality.
” What we found was that security forces shot at protesters and also at bystanders at very short distances in a targeted fashion, causing injuries to their heads, necks, torsos, genital areas, but particularly to the eyes,” reported Ms. Hossain. “We found hundreds of protesters had these life changing injuries, with many of them now blinded and branded essentially for life marked as dissidents.”
It appeared that the ideology of Ebrahim Raisi had carried on from 1988, “Revolution Before the People.”
The Iranian Population
Raisi was elected on numerous promises one of which was to bring down the high rate of inflation. This was affecting the purchase of staple dietary products which the average Iranian was finding it difficult to place any form of decent food on the table due to the rise in prices.
The population of Iran had had enough of the lies and corruption led by the previous presidency and were hoping of a better future which never happened.
The people had had enough of having 60% inflation which reflected on the price of food that they have to pay in order to put nourishment on the table which Raisi promised to tackle and never did. Lawyers who had been promised a wage increase by Raisi which had not been delivered by the very man who was once head of their profession. The farmers had had enough of having no water to grow crops because of corruption and the mismanagement of the precious liquid. Pensioners had had enough of being promised a rise in their pension and the government not delivering, Raisi. The teachers who educated or indoctrinated the next generation with deceptions from text books written by those responsible for propaganda that had been approved by the Raisi government. The population of Iran had had enough when they saw the privileged going to Turkey and buying products that the ordinary people could not dream of purchasing especially when the cost of bread and other basic commodities were so high. They had had enough of the lies that the state-controlled media and press broadcasted by hiding the truth.
A great deal of the unrest was placed upon the United States, The State of Israel and the United Kingdom who were accused of plotting to overthrow the government and were using Masha Amini and their reason for high inflation as a means of fermenting the discontent.
 
1st March 2024 Iranian Elections
On the 1st March 24 the Iranians had the chance of voting on two important bodies. The Parliamentary elections and the Assembly of Experts. Voting was to be run concurrently on the same day. The last time the Iranians went to the ballot box it was for a new president in 2021. However, like everything in a corrupt system the presidential vote was no different. Most of the candidates were thrown out with only a few others allowed to stand.
It was explained that whoever won the post would be the prime candidate for the position of Supreme Leader once the current leader died. The Supreme Leader is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran (above the president). At the moment the current Supreme Leader is Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei (born 15th July 1939) an Iranian Twelver Shia marja' and politician who has been the second Supreme Leader of Iran since 1979. He previously served as third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was elected to Supreme Leader 1989 being only the second to hold the position since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
The turnout for the 2024 elections were marginally lower than the 2021 elections. People do not see the reason for voting as everything for them remains the same with no change no matter who is in power.
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, had been tipped to succeed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who in April 2024 was 85 years old. Raisi would then become the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Guardian Council
The Guardian Council (also known as the Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council) is a 12-member council with significant power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Guardian Council can veto legislation passed by the parliament (Majlis) to ensure bills align with Islamic laws and the Iranian Constitution. The council oversees elections, including approving or disqualifying candidates running for local, parliamentary, presidential, or Assembly of Experts positions.
The council consists of six Islamic faqihs (experts in Islamic Law) appointed by the Supreme Leader, and six jurists elected by the Majlis from among Muslim jurists nominated by the Chief Justice. Its influence extends to controlling the interpretation of Islamic values in Iranian law, vetting candidates, and shaping legislation
The Guardian Council plays a crucial role in selecting Iran’s president.
Election Monitoring Agency (EMA): Managed by the Guardian Council, this institution vets registered candidates and selects a handful to run in the presidential election.
Candidates must be approved by the Council of Guardians, a twelve-member body consisting of six clerics (selected by Iran’s Supreme Leader) and six lawyers (proposed by the Supreme Leader-appointed head of Iran’s judicial system and voted in by the Parliament).
Those approved by the Guardian Council are put to a public vote. The winner is the candidate who receives a majority (50% plus one) of votes. If no candidate receives enough votes, another election is held between the two candidates with the most votes the following Friday.
The President of Iran is elected every four years by direct, popular vote, but the Supreme Leader holds much more power in Iran’s political system
Iran Presidential Election Registration
Tasnim News on the 30th May 2024 announced that he registration process for the 14th round of Iran’s presidential elections got underway at the Interior Ministry headquarters in the capital Tehran. Registering the candidates started at 0800 hrs at the order of Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi.
Eligible applicants had the chance of submitting the required documents within a deadline of five days. The names of the hopefuls would then be handed over to the Constitutional Council, the 12-member body that oversees elections and legislation. The body would vet and pronounce a final ruling on the competency of the hopefuls according to constitutional requirements.
The Iranian population will be given the opportunity to go to the polls and elect a new president in a nationwide election to be held on the 28th June 2024.
The five-day registration period, began on the 30th May 2024, ended on the 3rd June 2024 with the final list of candidates to be published on 11th June 2024.
The results as to who would be eligible for the presidential office were to be announced on the 5th June 2024. The presidential candidates would be whittled down from this group so that the population will have little choice as to who they should choose after the 11th June announcement.
The possibility of yet another low turnout to vote is more than likely. Iranians cannot vote for who would be best placed as president for the good of the people and who would make a better life for them. This president may be elected to continue Ruhollah Khomenei’s Islamic Republic without opposition but that is not a forgone conclusion in this case. For those who support the corrupt dictatorship they will vote, for those who hate living under repression they will not see the point. After all, one dictator is the same as another.
The announcement of 15 candidates from the selection process was announced in the Tehran Times on the 5th June 2024. A number of them have some form of blemish’s including embezzlement and corruption charges or have attempted to become president in the past but were rejected by the Guardian Council. Some are believed to lack experience in operational fields
Presidential campaigns according to the Tehran Times, will begin on 12th June and will run until 27th June 2024, providing ample time for candidates to present their platforms to the electorate. This election represents a critical juncture for Iran, offering an opportunity to redefine its domestic and international policies and address complex challenges, such as economic sanctions and regional tensions.
Presidential elections will be held on the 28th June 2024.
 
Paul Ashley
 
 
Additional Information
[1]        Iran International
Iran International is a Persian-language news television channel headquartered in London aimed at Iranian viewers, and broadcasting free-to-air by satellite. Iran International was established in May 2017 and has broadcast its programmes from both London and Washington, D.C. In February 2023, Iran International moved its headquarters temporarily to Washington, D.C. due to increased threats from the Iranian government against their UK-based journalists, but back to London in September 2023. It is available online, via radio and via satellite broadcasting worldwide including Iran. The channel has been charged of being an arm of Saudi Arabia and has received media attention for its reporting on Iranian human rights violations, political developments, LGBTQ+ rights and other topics sensitive to the regime in Iran.
The Penguin Dictionary of Islam (Azim Nanji with Razia Nanji) 2008, pages 51,52
[2]        ‘Fatwa’            Legal opinion rendered by a Muslim scholar regarded to having appropriate status and training. Such opinion may be sought from scholars who are known as MUFTI in the Sunni tradition and as mujtahid among the Shia, but are not necessarily binding.
While the idea originated in the need to provide religiously credible and well-established responses to questions of practice of the faith and daily behaviour, the concept developed throughout Muslim history into a more formal, legal notion. The mufti acted in a consultative capacity in Muslim courts as well as interpreting Islamic law as an appointed official of the state. The practice of issuing a fatwa has continued in modern times as a mechanism for dealing with personal, social, legal and religious issues. Page 7
[3]        Deadly Fatwa: Iran’s 1988 Prison Massacre
This report documents and analyses the Iranian government’s massacre of political prisoners in 1988. Pursuant to a fatwa issued by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, the government systematically interrogated, tortured and summarily executed thousands of political prisoners. Many families were never informed about the executions and many of the victims were buried in unmarked mass graves. The Iranian government has never identified those who were secretly executed and tortured, and has never issued an explanation for this crime.
 

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The Convention (ICJ) makes it the duty of every contracting state to combat genocide. Yet when Israel was compelled to protect its citizens from genocide, it found itself accused of the crime its duty was to prevent.
(25th May 2024: the Jerusalem Post)
 
The International Court of Justice (ICJ): Republic of South Africa Vs the State of and Israel Round Two
There are two legal bodies operating out of the Hague in the Netherlands. The two are distinctively different and follow two separate legal frameworks. It is important to distinguish the differences to make it clearer to those who follow the actions that Republic of South Africa (RSA) is currently undertaking against the State of Israel.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
“The International Court of Justice or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. It is one of the six organs of the United Nations (UN), and is located in The Hague, Netherlands.”
The ICJ is not to be confused with:
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice, an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states.
Established in 2002 pursuant to the multilateral Rome Statute, the ICC is considered by its proponents to be a major step toward justice, and an innovation in international law and human rights. However, it has faced a number of criticisms. Some governments have refused to recognise the court's assertion of jurisdiction, with other civil groups also accusing the court of bias, Eurocentrism and racism. Others have also questioned the effectiveness of the court as a means of upholding international law.
International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants
Recently the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in the United Nations Global Perspective Human Stories on the 20th May 2024 said in a statement; “that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh “bear criminal responsibility” for murder, extermination and taking hostages – among numerous other crimes – since the Gaza conflict erupted in the wake of Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7th October.” The statement continued; “There are also reasonable grounds to believe that Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defence, are responsible for other crimes and crimes against humanity “committed on the territory of the State of Palestine”.”
By the statement it is clearly defining the State of Israel’s right to defend itself against the aggressor Hamas and their leaders. In a rare report from ICC prosecutor Karim Khan on the 26th May 2024 he stated what justified his decision to request arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister. In a statement he said; “It’s a precarious moment internationally and if we don’t hold on to the law, we have nothing to cling onto,” Khan, who rarely speaks publicly, told a British newspaper. He added that countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia were watching closely as to whether global institutions would seek to uphold international law. “Are powerful states sincere when they say there’s a body of law or is this rules-based system all a nonsense, simply a tool of NATO and a post-colonial world, with no real intention of applying law equally?” Khan asked.”
“I am not saying that Israel with its democracy and its supreme court is akin to Hamas, of course not,” Khan added in his interview. “I couldn’t be clearer; Israel has every right to protect its population and to get the hostages back. But nobody has a license to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity. The means define us.” He cited a number of allegations against Israel, including “the fact that water was turned off... that people queuing for food [were] targeted, that people from aid agencies have been killed”. “This is not how war is supposed to be waged,” said Khan.
The Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on the 7th October 2023 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians. Hamas militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.
There is an immense difference between Hamas and Israel. Israel, who are fighting to destroy a terrorist group whose ideology is to wipe Israel of the face of the earth and from being able to repeat the attack in the future as they have stated they will do. Also to rescue those who were forcibly taken and held against their will. Khan’s words regarding having electricity turned off and Palestinian civilians queuing for food that had been targeted by Israeli forces bears no resemblance. He forgets that the Hamas leadership uses the Palestinian population as human shields to protect themselves. There is also the network of tunnels that were built at the expense of the Palestinian civilian population to protect Hamas terrorists to wage war against Israel, Hamas chose the battle field well.
Reaction over the Arrest Warrants
The decision triggered a slew of reactions. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the announcement “beyond outrageous and shows the extent to which the international judicial system is in danger of collapsing.” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed Herzog’s comments, calling the ICC’s request to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant an “outrageous decision.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the prosecutor’s decision to request warrants for the three Hamas leaders “equates the victim with the executioner.” Hamas demanded the arrest warrant request for its leaders be cancelled.
A top US diplomat said he rejected the ICC’s equivalence of Israel with Hamas as “shameful” and suggested the decision could jeopardize “ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement that would get hostages out and surge humanitarian assistance in.”
The German foreign ministry said the ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders created a “false impression of equivalence”.
The Islamic State of Iran published another side of the ICC arrest warrant account through its government controlled news (propaganda) outlet the Tasnim News on the 27th May 2024.  Iran suggested that Amnesty International urge the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate three Israeli attacks in Gaza that resulted in the deaths of 44 Palestinian civilians, including 32 children, in April. The attacks included a strike that killed children playing foosball at the Maghazi refugee camp on April 16 and two strikes on residential buildings in Rafah on April 19 and 20, the rights group said.
In all three cases, there was no evidence of military targets in or around the affected locations and no indication of prior warning, it said.
“Our findings offer crucial evidence of unlawful attacks by the Israeli military as the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court applies for arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As the Israeli military continues to escalate its ground incursion in Rafah, these cases also illustrate the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.
“The cases documented here illustrate a clear pattern of attacks over the past seven months in which the Israeli military has flouted international law, killing Palestinian civilians with total impunity and displaying a callous disregard for human lives.”
(27th May 2024, on checking with the Amnesty International website there was no such request from Iran)
South Africa's presidency welcomed the ICC’s announcement.
Separately, South Africa had lodged a complaint at another court in The Hague, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), complaining that Israel’s campaign in the Palestinian territory of Gaza amounts to a genocide.
This would be the second high profile attempt by the RSA to try and stop the State of Israel defending itself against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The Republic of South Africa Vs the State of Israel and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Round One
On the 29th December 2023 South Africa filed a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for what it said were “genocidal” acts by Israel in the Gaza Strip. In the United Nations press release (No. 2023/77) the ICJ informed press release stated: According to the Application, “acts and omissions by Israel . . . are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent . . . to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group” and that “the conduct of Israel — through its State organs, State agents, and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or under its direction, control or influence — in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention”.
The Applicant further states that “Israel, since 7th October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide” and that “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.
South Africa not openly supports Iran on decisive issues with the United Nations but also commits to ensuring deep diplomatic ties and the two engage in joint business-tech forums, scientific cooperation and tourism. There is also a strong interaction with the Tehran government and the South African military navies.
On the 26th January 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its ruling. It stated that although there was ‘plausibility’ that Israel ‘may’ be committing genocide this could not be defined at that time. The court stated that the State of Israel had a right to self-defence but should take steps to reduce the number of Palestinian casualties. The findings also said that there was no immediate measure to state that the case of genocide against the State of Israel was in fact being carried out.
The Republic of South Africa failed in its attempt to stop the war in Gaza although Iran, Turkey and other Hamas supporting states declared the ruling as a victory.
The Republic of South Africa Vs the State of Israel and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Round Two
Iranian government backed Tasnim News announced on the 11th May 2024 that they supported the South African pursuit of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop Israeli action in the city of Rafah that spans the Egyptian and Gaza border.
On the 16th May 2024 the United Nations top court opened two days of hearings where South Africa had one day to plead its case and Israel had the following day to deny any accusations against them filed by South Africa. This would have been the second time that South Africa had attempted to stop Israel acting in self-defence against Hamas who savagely and brutally attacked Israel on the 7th October 2024.
South Africa had asked the court to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah; to take measures to ensure unimpeded access for UN officials, humanitarian organizations and journalists to the Gaza Strip; and to report back within one week on how it is meeting these demands. Israel had strongly denied that it was committing or going to commit genocide against the Palestinian people and that its war was against Hamas and other terrorist organisations that attacked them in October 2023.
South Africa was asking the ICJ for three emergency orders - “provisional measures” in court jargon - while it rules on the wider accusation that Israel is breaking the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

• First, it wanted the court to order Israel to “immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive” in Rafah.
• Second, Israel should take “all effective measures” to allow “unimpeded access” to Gaza for humanitarian aid workers, as well as journalists and investigators.
• Lastly, Pretoria asked the court to ensure Israel reported back on its measures taken to adhere to the orders.

Pretoria stressed its view that the only way for the existing court orders to be implemented was a “permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
Although the application filed the previous week requested an order from the court only to instruct Israel to halt the operation in Rafah, South Africa amended that request and asked the court to order Israel to stop all military operations in Gaza.
The South African delegation also asked for orders compelling Israel to provide “unimpeded access to Gaza for humanitarian aid” and for investigators and fact-finding missions to investigate allegations of war crimes and genocide.
On the 17th May 2024 Israel defended itself.
Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam called South Africa’s case, which accuses Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, “completely divorced from facts and circumstances.”
“(The case) makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide,” Noam said. He called it “an obscene exploitation of the most sacred convention,” referring to the international treaty banning genocide, agreed after the Holocaust of European Jews in World War Two.
Examples of alleged violations by Israel raised by South Africa were “not evidence a policy of illegal behaviour, let alone a policy of genocide,” he said. Ordering Israel to withdraw its troops would sentence remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to death, Noam said.
Responding, the Israeli legal team accused South Africa of ignoring the fact that it is continuing to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and said Pretoria was trying to contort international law through the Genocide Convention in order to have the ICJ “micromanage” the war with Hamas, which Israel’s representatives insisted was far beyond the remit of the court.
The Israeli attorneys also pointed out that South Africa recently hosted Hamas officials in Johannesburg and alleged that Pretoria was allied with Hamas. They said the country’s repeated requests for the court to order Israel to halt its military operations against the terror group demonstrated South Africa’s desire to preserve Hamas rule in Gaza.
Noam accused Hamas of deliberately putting Palestinian civilians in harm’s way as a tactic in its war against Israel, noting that “rocket sites, tunnel shafts, command and control sites are all embedded among the civilian population in Rafah.”
“They did not use the meeting (Me: in Johannesburg) to urge Hamas to release hostages, stop targeting Israeli civilians, cease using human shields, cease operating in United Nations facilities, hospitals, schools and other protected sites. They apparently met to discuss their continuing campaign against Israel in court and on the ground,” accused Noam.
“South Africa,” Noam said, “is not interested in truth, law or justice.”
Noam said that Israel has “made repeatedly clear” that war policy and “instructions for conducting hostilities” emanated from the security cabinet and war cabinet only “and not from various social media accounts or interviews.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Tehran Times called the Israeli defence “transparent Lies.”
International Court of Justice Announces its Decision
On the 24th May 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court announced its decision on the case brought to it by South Africa against the State of Israel. The body’s president Nawaf Salam said provisional measures ordered by the court in March 2024 did not fully address the situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave now, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order.
The court backed a South African request to order Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, a week after Pretoria called for the measure in a case accusing Israel of genocide. South Africa’s wider case at the ICJ accuses Israel of orchestrating a state-led genocide against the Palestinian people. The ICJ has not ruled on the substance of that accusation - it could take years - but has rejected Israel’s demand to throw the case out.
The Israeli news outlet Ynet claimed, “despite initial headlines declaring the UN's International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah, the ruling, when examined is quite different[1]. There is no dispute that the court's decision adds to the international pressure on Israel, which is seen as increasingly isolated. But Israeli officials said late on the 25th May 2024 that the judges issued a very carefully worded ruling that does not compel the fighting in Rafah to stop nor does it prevent Israel from defending itself.
The Ynet article continued, “the officials do not view the ruling as preventing IDF's offensive, as long as all measures to prevent harm to civilians are taken, and after Israel's National Security Council and Foreign Ministry have stated that Israel has not and will not create conditions that could bring about the destruction of the civilian Palestinian population in part or in full.”
An Israeli official said "It said genocide is forbidden, and we have no intention of committing genocide. What country would invest so many resources to bring in humanitarian aid, call off attacks and the like, if it intends to commit genocide? We are already doing and will continue to do what the ruling has called for."
The Times of Israel wrote, “confused by the ICJ’s decision on Gaza? Blame the judges’ deliberate ambiguity.”
The ICJ set a schedule for deliberations over the accusations of genocide. South Africa must present its written claims by the 25th October 2024 and Israel will have nine months to respond.
It is a criminal offence within itself to accuse the most persecuted and hated race in the world and history of genocide when during World War Two for example millions of Jews were genocidally killed in the worst case of genocide ever recorded. The Jews have been persecuted everywhere, now in the past four decades by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Lebanese Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran who have clearly stated that Israel and the ‘Zionists’ should be removed from the face of the earth.
Israel should pursue a case of genocide against those mentioned to the ICJ and see what the outcome would be and what they would do about it.
What are the Israeli laws for protecting civilians in a conflict?
In the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict, there are several legal obligations and principles aimed at protecting civilians.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict, governs the conduct of parties during armed conflicts. It aims to minimize human suffering and protect civilians.
Principle of Distinction, combatants must distinguish between civilian and military targets. Deliberate attacks on civilians or civilian structures are prohibited unless they are used as firing points and/or stage of weapons then they lose that status.
Precautions in Attack, parties must take precautions to avoid harming civilians. This includes avoiding attacks on hospitals and other civilian structures. However, if they are used as firing points and/or stage of weapons then they lose that status.
Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, requires humane treatment of civilians and noncombatants during armed conflicts.
Article 51 of the Geneva Conventions’ Protocol I, protects civilian populations from attack. Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC): Contains provisions on war crimes and crimes against humanity. These apply to both Hamas leaders and fighters.
Hamas’s Violations
Hamas’s surprise attack on Israeli territory resulted in the killing of at least 1400 Israeli civilians, including women and children. This violated international humanitarian law.
Their continuous, indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli targets also put civilians and civilian structures at risk.
In summary, international law places significant emphasis on safeguarding civilians during conflicts, and parties involved must adhere to these principles to prevent unnecessary harm.
What are the Hamas laws for protecting civilians in a conflict?
Hamas, as a militant organization, “is not bound” by the same legal framework as states or recognized governments. However, there are international laws that apply to all parties involved in armed conflicts, including non-state actors like Hamas.
Slightly one-sided
Professor Alan Dershowitz, an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law, co-edited a book honouring Israel’s 50th Anniversary, entitled – Israel Among the Nations. Dershowitz pointed out that “no civilized nation in the history of the world which has faced comparable threats to its survival – both external and internal – has ever made greater efforts at, and has ever come closer to, achieving the highest norms of the rule of law.
Republic of South Africa and Hamas
Quoted from the Jerusalem Post (24th January 2024) Research conducted by The Jerusalem Post staff and several sources uncovered what appears to be a network of several South African organizations and straw man companies deeply involved with funding Hamas activities through the Al-Quds Foundation, an international group sanctioned by the US and outlawed by Israel, using accounts registered in major local South African banks: Standard Bank, Nedbank, and Absa.
The report went on to say: Sanctioning by the US and Israel notwithstanding, the foundation continues its operations across the globe, featuring roughly thirteen branches in different countries, sometimes holding different names. In South Africa, a registered organization named “Al-Quds Foundation SA” also exists which openly admits on their new website that they are “a branch of Al-Quds foundation with headquarters in Lebanon.”
The organization itself boasts about its fundraising activities, claiming funds would be transferred to the needy in Gaza. The foundation’s website lists Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels as its director, leading the South African branch since 2019.
Prior to that, Gabriels was the former president of the Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa (MJC), and of the United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA). According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre, MJC forms part of the Union of Good, an umbrella organization comprised of over 50 alleged charity organizations worldwide which engage in fundraising and funding for Hamas activities, also designated as a terror group under US law since 2008.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and South Africa’s Monetary Commitments
High-profile South African activists have ‘suggested’ that Iran played a role in fixing the ANC’s financial problems. However, the idea that Iran directly funded the ANC’s approach to the ICJ remains a topic of debate.
It’s essential to note that South Africa’s constitution prohibits “unrehabilitated insolvents” (bankrupt individuals) from running for office, but it does not explicitly address whether a bankrupt party can run candidates. The ANC claims to have stabilized its finances, although specifics remain undisclosed.
Despite international sanctions against Iran, South Africa has reiterated its commitment to supporting Iran. Diplomacy remains crucial in resolving international issues.
In summary, South Africa’s relations with Iran involve complex financial challenges, legal cases, and diplomatic considerations.
Does the Republic of South Africa fund Hamas?
South Africa has indeed been implicated in providing support to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. Here are the key points.
Hamas Support Network in South Africa.
A web of unsanctioned organizations operating in South Africa has enabled Hamas by building support for terrorism. These front organizations have allowed Hamas to turn South Africa into a base for fundraising. At the centre of this network is the Muslim cleric Ebrahim Gabriels, also known as Ibrahim Jibril. Gabriels has founded, directed, and currently directs several Muslim organizations tied to Hamas.
These organizations include the South African branches of the Al-Quds International Foundation (AQIF), the Al-Aqsa Foundation (AAF), and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC).

• Al-Quds Foundation (AQF): This is the South African branch of AQIF, which the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned in 2012. Several senior Hamas leaders are on its board. Gabriels serves as the president of the South African AQF.
• Al-Aqsa Foundation: The Treasury has also sanctioned this foundation and its South African branch. Gabriels has served as the chairman of the board for the South African Al-Aqsa Foundation.
• Union of Good: Gabriels was listed as a board member of the Union of Good, a charity umbrella group designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2008 for funding Hamas.

Gabriels and these organizations have hosted events and rallies expressing support for Hamas and Palestine. For instance, after a Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, the AAF’s South African branch held an event in support of Palestine and Masjid Al-Aqsa (the mosque atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem). Gabriels praised Hamas fighters as “people who are connected to Allah” during these events.
Research has uncovered a network of South African organizations and straw man companies deeply involved in funding Hamas activities through the Al-Quds Foundation. These organizations have used accounts registered in major local South African banks, including Standard Bank, Nedbank, and Absa.
While South Africa’s direct financial contributions to Hamas may be limited, its support network and involvement in fundraising have drawn attention and concern.
Palestinian Pay-to-Slay
Pay-to-Slay refers to a controversial practice involving payments made by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the families of Palestinians who have been killed, injured, or imprisoned while carrying out violence against Israel.
The Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund. The PA operates two funds related to these payments:

• Foundation for the Care of the Families of Martyrs: This fund provides monthly cash stipends to the families of Palestinians killed, injured, or imprisoned during acts of violence against Israel.
• Prisoners Fund: This fund disburses payments to Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails.

In 2016, the PA paid out approximately NIS 1.1 billion (US$303 million) in stipends and other benefits. Critics often refer to this system as “pay for slay” and argue that it encourages terrorism.
The practice of providing payments to families of militant’s dates back to the 1960s and became routinized during the Second Intifada (2000–2005). The stipends are higher than the average Palestinian wage, creating an incentive for families to apply posthumously to have their deceased relatives reclassified as fighters.
Since 2018, the Israeli government has deducted the amount the PA pays in martyr payments from the taxes and tariffs it collects on behalf of the PA. These funds constitute the largest source of income for the PA. Critics argue that these payments incentivize violence and terrorism, as they reward terrorists and their families based on the severity of the attacks. The discourse around “pay to slay” suggests that financial compensation motivates violence against Israelis, which is a highly debated and complex issue.
In recent years, there have been discussions about reforming this policy, especially in negotiations with international partners.
Claims against a Lack of Aid
There have been many claims cited that there is insufficient aid being allowed into the Gaza Strip to look after the population. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated that Israel had to do more to get aid into the small strip of land. Israel has shown that it is complying with that request along with the United Nations (who appear to have their own agenda) the United States and others who point the finger.
But once again when you read the news or hear it on the television or a radio its always half a story and one sided.
According to veteran Israeli journalist Ehud Ya’ari, (16th May 2024 on X) Hamas has earned at least $500 million from the sale of captured aid since the beginning of the war. This was backed up by reports in the Jewish Chronicle published on the 20th May 2024 that wrote, “Hamas has profited from Gaza aid ‘to tune of half a billion dollars’.” The Jewish News Syndicate also covered the same story on the same day, “Hamas reaped hundreds of millions off Gaza aid since Oct. 7.”
According to the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) on the 22nd May 2024 the United Nations announced that new routes are being planned for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza arriving through a U.S.-built pier off the Mediterranean coast, Reuters reported on the 21st May 24. The announcement came as the distribution of aid delivered to the pier was suspended for a third day because of concerns over looting.
The United States of America military built a pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip as a means of enabling more aid to be distributed in the north of the Gaza Strip in an effort to stop the looting that was going on from the Egyptian Gaza border. The pier cost in the region of $320 million and did not use American boots on the ground. Aid would be delivered to Cyprus and then loaded onto maritime vessels which would then have completed security checks sailed to Gaza for unloading and distribution.
The Gatestone Institute International Policy Council claimed on the 22nd May 2024 that “Close to three-fourths of the humanitarian aid transported from a new $320 million floating pier built by the U.S. military off the Gaza coast was stolen on route to a U.N. warehouse, Reuters reported.”
Ten aid vehicles had been driven by U.N. contractors to a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in Gaza. But on the 11th May 2024, only five trucks made it to the warehouse after others were intercepted. The news report explained how, "crowds had stopped the trucks at various points along the way. There was ... what I think I would refer to as self-distribution," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on the 14th May.
An article in the Financial Times (21st February 2024) describes how youths jump fences into unloading areas and steal food by removing them on carts driven by donkeys. Fresh fruit and vegetables, 25kg sacks of flour and boxed supplies are also being stolen. Trucks are being attacked by gangs attempting to deliver food and supplies. Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian co-ordinator for the Middle East stated, “Lawlessness breeds lawlessness,” he said. “If we were able to secure a regular supply, and people saw trucks coming in all the time, they wouldn’t worry that ‘this may be my only chance to feed my family’.”
McGoldrick also explained “A lot of it goes to the black market. The prices are quite lucrative,” he added. “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy — if we can’t get more supplies in, we can’t devalue the black market.” The problem here is the distribution. Without security which the police (who cannot be trusted) provided in the past deliveries are very difficult. Looters, armed criminal gangs and Palestinian civilians are responsible. Criminal gangs and others then sell the goods on the black market at extortionate prices.
According to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Hamas terrorists divert at least 60% of the goods entering Gaza for their own purposes. Hamas, the governing body of the Gaza Strip, is stealing from its own people, the ones they are allegedly fighting for. They make money while their people starve all because Hamas wants to gain sympathy from the world as to how the “occupying forces” are treating the Palestinians. All to apply pressure on Israel to stop the war and enable Hamas to survive.
Another reason for aid not to gain access to the people in the Gaza Strip is once again Hamas or one of the other terrorist groups. The aid crossing Kerem Shalom recently came under attack on the 23rd May 2024. The attack marked the fourth time in May that the Iran-backed group has targeted the crossing on Gaza’s southern border with Israel – one of several entry points for humanitarian aid provided to Gaza’s residents. A multiple rocket strike on the crossing launched on the 5th May resulted in the deaths of four Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers. On the 9th May, Hamas launched eight rockets at the crossing, lightly injuring an IDF soldier, while on the 12th May, two rockets fired by Hamas were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system. These attacks slow the transiting of aid into Gaza, yet another Hamas ploy to slow aid entering and allowing world pressure to build against Israel.
Egypt temporarily closed the Rafah crossing after Israeli troops had taken operational control on the 7th May 2024 of the Palestinian side. Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October. Egypt and Gaza share the same border. Aid could flow instead through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. “We do not believe that aid should be held back for any reason whatsoever. Kerem Shalom is open. The Israelis have it open.” A senior U.S. official said.
Israel said it had kept the Rafah crossing open and asked Egypt to coordinate with it on sending aid convoys through. Egypt refused, fearing the Israeli hold will remain permanent, and demanded Palestinians be put back in charge of the facility. The White House had been pressing Egypt to resume the flow of trucks. Egypt said on the 25th May 2024 it had agreed to send United Nations humanitarian aid trucks through Israel’s main crossing into Gaza, but it was unclear if they would be able to enter the territory as fighting raged in the southern city of Rafah amid Israel’s escalating offensive there. Egypt was against the Israeli’s fighting in the last Hamas stronghold of Rafah.
On the 22nd May 2024 Israeli forces operating in the southern Gazan city of Rafah discovered Palestinian rockets primed for launch next to the Egyptian border. The rocket cache, concealed in what appeared to be a utility box, was within a few dozen yards of the fence separating Gaza from the Egyptian Sinai. It’s not to say this was the same firing point as others that have been fired but it does go to show how close Hamas is to the border and can be concealed ready to be launched.
In early May Israel announced the opening of a new crossing into the northern Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid deliveries, the third crossing enabling the passage of aid to the Strip’s north. The so-called Western Erez Crossing is located in the Zikim area, on the coast abutting the Strip’s northern border, the Israeli military and the Defence Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.
“As part of the effort to increase aid routes to the Gaza Strip, and to the northern Gaza Strip in particular,” the military said. The army said dozens of trucks ferrying flour from the United Nations’ World Food Program had been delivered from Ashdod Port to the Gaza Strip through the new crossing after “undergoing security checks.”
Collectively and with other factors the whole aid program is leading to a humanitarian crisis which cannot be pinned down to one single factor. So, for the ICJ to condemn and blame Israel is incorrect.
Israel is clearly not committing genocide.
Turkey Joins South Africa in ICJ Case Against Israel
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed on the 1st May 2024 that Turkey will join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel has committed “genocidal” acts in Gaza. “Israel systematically killing thousands of innocent Palestinians and rendering a whole residential area uninhabitable is a crime against humanity, attempted genocide, and the manifestation of genocide,” Fidan said. A representative of the foreign ministry subsequently told Reuters that Ankara had not yet submitted the formal application to the ICJ.
A secret Hamas document discovered by Israeli military personnel in Gaza revealed that the terrorist group planned to establish a base in Turkey, London-based news outlet The Times reported on the 14th May 2024. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reportedly unearthed the document at the home of Hamza Abu Shanab, chief of staff to Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and the mastermind of Hamas’s savage 7th October 2023 assault on southern Israel.
Titled “Founding a base in Turkey,” the document provided details of the proposed funding and staffing of Hamas’s Turkish branch within the wider framework of a three-year plan to create “military cells and safe houses in many countries” that would carry out assassinations, kidnappings, and other acts of terrorism
The current Turkish president forgets two things: The first being the was the Armenian Genocide referring to the physical annihilation of ethnic Armenian Christian people living in the Turkish Ottoman Empire which was conducted between spring 1915 through to the autumn of 1916. It was thought that at least 664,000 and possibly as many as 1.2milliuon died during that genocidal time. The Holocaust Encyclopaedia claim that “the origin of the term genocide and its codification in international law have their roots in the mass murder of Armenians in 1915–16.” Armenians died “either in massacres and individual killings, or from systematic ill treatment, exposure, and starvation.”
Foreign Policy magazine wrote in June 2021 that Turkey Will Never Recognize the Armenian Genocide and only 9% of Turkish citizens believe that they should apologise for it.
A fitting Israeli reply to Erdogan was: Recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Accusations of War Crimes
Rape Allegations
The Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel on the 21st February 2024 submitted to the United Nations a report detailing the sadistic and systematic nature of the sexual violence employed by Hamas terrorists during the terror group’s brutal 7th October onslaught on southern Israel, as well as evidence of such crimes being perpetrated on an ongoing basis against hostages still held in Gaza. The association said the 35-page report, written by Dr. Carmit Klar Chalamish, head of the organization’s research department, and Noa Berger, its director of content, “is the first official research since the 7th October 2023, consolidating evidence and providing conclusions” from “numerous confidential and public pieces of information.” It identifies four main arenas where Hamas used rape as a weapon of war: the Supernova music festival near Re’im; Gaza border communities; military bases infiltrated by Hamas; and abuse of hostages inside the Strip.
The United Nations envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said in a new report[2] on the 4th March 2024 that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualized torture,” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel on the 7th October 2023. There are also “reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” said Pramila Patten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from the 29th January 2024 to the 14th February 2024 with a nine-member technical team. Hamas had rejected earlier allegations that its fighters committed sexual assault.
Presenting the report at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, said that there was “clear and convincing information that sexual violence including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” was committed against hostages being held in captivity in the Strip by Hamas. Her team also viewed 5,000 photographic images and “some 50 hours of footage” of the attacks.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan lambasted the international body for taking so long to recognize what happened on the Gaza periphery. “It took the UN five months to finally recognize the horrifying sex crimes that occurred during the Hamas onslaught of the 7th October 2023,” Erdan said in a statement. “Now that the report of the sexual atrocities and abuse that our hostages are going through in Gaza is being released, the shame of the silence of the UN — which is not even holding one hearing on the issue — is crying out to the heavens.” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had called Erdan back to Israel for discussions on how to move forward, due to the UN’s “silencing” of the issue. Katz slammed UN chief Antonio Guterres for not calling for a meeting of the UN Security Council “to declare Hamas a terror group and place sanctions on its supporters.” He said Israel had yet to hear “one word” from the UN chief over the report, adding: “Guterres, wake up.”
On the 23rd May 2024 the UK Daily Mail released a report that a Palestinian father and son admitted going from house to house and raping and murdering Israeli’s. The son Abdallah Ahmad Radi, 18 years old, and his father Jamal Hussein Ahmad Radi, 47 years old had been captured by IDF forces in Gaza and questioned about the atrocities they committed in a kibbutz close to the border.
The video footage of their confession obtained by the news outlet, the men chillingly described murdering innocent civilians in their homes, kidnapping others and brutally raping women they found and shooting them once they had finished their evil acts.
Father-of-seven Radi, a member of the Hamas Security Service, who was captured in March 2024 in Gaza, described how he, his son and other terrorists broke into the Nir Oz kibbutz. Without any visible sign of remorse, he said: 'In each house where we found someone, we either killed them or kidnapped them.'
Pressed further he added: 'In the first house I found a woman and her husband, and we hit them with fire and killed them…they were in their late 40s.' He then went on to confess how he had raped one woman and said: 'She was screaming, she was crying, I did what I did, I raped her. 'I threatened her with my gun to take her clothes off, I remember she was wearing jean shorts, that's about it.' 'I don't know what happened to her, I was there for fifteen minutes and then I left.'
But according to his son Abdallah, his father killed the woman, as he told investigators: 'My father raped her, then I did and then my cousin did and then we left but my father killed the woman after we finished raping her. 'Before this woman, we had raped another girl as well, I killed two people, I raped two people, and I broke into five houses.'
Hamas releases propaganda document denying atrocities, blaming Israel for civilian deaths on the 7th October 202. In a 16-page document, the terror group sought to justify the 7th October massacre, denying its atrocities committed against civilians, and branded itself as a “national liberation” group[3].
Hostages
Israel announced on the 18th May 2024 that they had recovered hostage Ron Benjamin who was murdered during the savage and brutal attack by Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group and others. His body was taken as a hostage and kept in the Gaza Strip where it was recently located and returned to the family.
The bodies of Yitzhak Gelerenter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila were also retrieved and returned back to their families for closure.
On the 24th May 2024 the Israeli army stated that three more bodies were recovered and returned to their families. The army said they were killed on the day of the attack at the Mefalsim intersection and their bodies were taken to Gaza. The three were, Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez Radoux.
Nisenbaum, 59, was a Brazilian-Israeli from the southern city of Sderot. He was taken hostage when he went to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter. Oryon Hernandez Radoux, 30, was a French-Mexican citizen taken from the Nova music festival, which he attended with his partner Shani Louk. Louk’s body was one of those found by the army nearly a week ago. Yablonka, 42, a father of two, was also taken from the music festival.
Israel during ceasefire negotiations on the 1st March 2024 with Hamas had requested the names of living hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist groups.
Hamas claimed seven hostages killed in captivity in Gaza. "We confirm that the number of enemy prisoners who were killed as a result of the military operations of the enemy army in the Gaza Strip may exceed seventy prisoners." Hamas named three of the hostages that had been allegedly killed as Chaim Gershon Peri, 79, Yoram Itak Metzger, 80, and Amiram Israel Cooper, 85.
Hamas declined the request to provide names of living hostages stating it needed a ceasefire in place to gather the information. This was possibly a ploy in order to obtain the ceasefire knowing that there were a number of hostages that were already dead in their ‘care.’
Human Shields
Hamas relies on the Israeli government’s aim to minimise collateral damage, and is also aware of the West ‘s sensitivity towards civilian casualties. Hamas’ use of human shields is therefore likely aimed at minimising their own vulnerabilities by limiting the Israeli Defence Forces’ (IDF) freedom of action. It is also aimed at gaining diplomatic and public opinion-related leverage, by presenting Israel and the IDF as an aggressor that indiscriminately strikes civilians. Hamas’ most common uses of human shields include:

• Firing rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be protected according to the Geneva Convention (e.g. schools, hospitals, or mosques).
• Locating military or security-related infrastructures such as HQs, bases, armouries, access routes, lathes, or defensive positions within or in proximity to civilian areas.
• Protecting terrorists’ houses and military facilities, or rescuing terrorists who were besieged or warned by the IDF.
• Combating the IDF from or in proximity to residential and commercial areas, including using civilians for intelligence gathering missions.

By engaging in these acts, Hamas employs a win-win scenario. If indeed the IDF uses kinetic power, and the number of civilian causalities surges, Hamas can use that as a weapon in the lawfare it conducts. It would be able to accuse the IDF (and Israel) of committing war crimes, which in turn could result in the imposition of a wide array of sanctions. On the other hand, if the IDF limits its use of military power in Gaza to avoid collateral damage, Hamas will be less vulnerable to Israeli attacks, and thereby able to protect its assets while continuing to fight.
 
In an interview with Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior member of the Hamas politburo and published in the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) on the 1st November 2023 who was questioned about the tunnel network in the Gaza Strip,  “Since you have built 500 kilometres of tunnels, why haven’t you built bomb shelters where civilians can hide during bombardments?”
 
Hamas’s Abu Marzouk replied that the tunnels were, “meant to protect us” from Israeli aircraft and facilitate attacks on Israeli targets. “Us” meaning Hamas. Not the civilian population. Hamas chooses not to build bomb shelters in Gaza because that would undercut its ability to use the population as human shields. By putting civilians in or above its military positions, Hamas knows it cannot lose.
 
Either it will prevent Israel from attacking, since the Israeli military tries to minimize harm to civilians, or if Israel does attack, the use of human shields will ensure high civilian casualties, publicity, public outcry and pressure. Hamas can then hold the death toll against Israel while generating sympathy for itself. Equally important, the tunnels are a convenient way for Hamas to hide its military assets underneath civilian infrastructure. That is a textbook use of human shields, which international law prohibits.
 
Its currently believed that the Hamas leader and mastermind of the 7th October 2023 in Gaza is protecting himself by using Israeli hostages as Human shields in Gaza. This prompts the thought of how many live Israel hostages there are. If Hamas is willing to use its own people in order to protect the cowardly leaders of Hamas, they will not give a second thought to using Israeli’s.
 
But none of this comes from the United Nations nor the criminal court.
Hospitals
Since the war began between Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas, the Israelis through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has been putting in place ‘Field Hospitals; to treat wounded and injured Palestinians.
Israel has coordinated the establishment of a new field hospital in the central Gaza Strip. The hospital is run by the International Medical Corps aid organization and is located in the Deir al-Balah area. It began operations in recent days. Israeli authorities facilitated the entry of 150 international medical staff and equipment, including medication, beds, food, water, tents, and other materials for the field hospital. The equipment underwent a security check before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing. In addition to this new field hospital, seven other field hospitals were previously established in Gaza during the conflict.
On the 12th May 2024 Israel was reportedly opening up an 8th Field Hospital in Gaza. This new hospital comes as the Israeli military encourages Palestinians located in Rafah to move into humanitarian zones in anticipation of an expanded offensive to locate Israeli hostages and root out the terrorist organization Hamas. Israel is attempting to fight the final few battalions in Rafah where it is thought That the remaining hostages and the leadership of Hamas are hiding using Palestinians and Israeli hostages as human shields.
Establishing hospitals in order to treat wounded and injured Palestinian civilians is hardly the work of a state who is being accused of genocide.
The Republic of Nicaragua, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the State of Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany
With everything else going on Nicaragua decided to join the party.
Germany is the one of the largest suppliers of arms to Israel. According to a Reuters report on the 10th May 2024, German defence export approvals for Israel rose nearly tenfold to 326.5 million euros ($351 million) in 2023 compared with 2022 as Berlin treated permit requests as a priority after Hamas' 7th October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. The largest is the United States with Italy lying in third place.
Nicaragua on the 2nd March 2024 had sued Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for funding Israel and cutting aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), the court announced. The Latin American country accused Berlin of violating international law in its continued funding for Tel Aviv and asked the ICJ to order emergency measures that would force Germany to cease military aid to Israel, and restart funding to the UNRWA. “By sending military equipment and now defunding UNRWA which provides essential support to the civilian population, Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide.”
Preliminary hearings opened on the 8th April 2024 at the United Nations’ top court in a case that seeks an end to German military and other aid to Israel, based on claims that Berlin is “facilitating” acts of genocide and breaches of international law in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Nicaragua’s government, which has historical links with Palestinian organizations dating back to their support for the 1979 Sandinista revolution, was itself accused earlier this year by UN-backed human rights experts of systematic human rights abuses “tantamount to crimes against humanity.” The government of President Daniel Ortega fiercely rejected the allegations.
Germany rejected the allegations.
On the 30th April 2024 the International Court of Justice decided not to issue provisional measures against Germany for its arms sales to Israel, rejecting a demand filed by Nicaragua against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The court ruled, however, that it would not dismiss the case from its docket as Germany had requested, saying it could only do so if there was a manifest lack of jurisdiction, which it asserted was not the situation in Nicaragua’s application.
In a strange twist the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 26th December 2023 announced in the government-controlled Tasnim News that Iran’s oil minister said competent Iranian companies are ready to rebuild and overhaul oil refineries in Nicaragua. Javad Owji is an Iranian oil engineer and politician who has been serving as the minister of oil since 25th August 2021 said the two countries share the same view in terms of fighting against the Global Arrogance (the United States and the State of Israel).
Iran and Nicaragua have maintained a relationship that centres around economic cooperation. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega visited Iran in June 2008 and held talks with then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During these discussions, they explored several joint development and trade projects.
In recent months, Iran and Nicaragua have deepened their cooperation agreements in various sectors.
Discussions have included commitments by Iran to supply fuel to Nicaragua. There have been discussions about possible Iranian investments in a new oil refinery for Nicaragua called “Supremo Sueño de Bolívar.” Iran has also begun purchasing Nicaraguan beef. The two countries have expanded their collaboration beyond economic matters.
In December 2022, Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada visited Tehran, and a comprehensive plan for cooperation between Iran and Nicaragua was signed. This agreement is described as a “new and strategic road map” for expanding relations. It includes a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on political consultations, paving the way for close cooperation between the foreign ministries of both nations.
Quid pro Quo.
Conclusion
It is important to see here that those countries pursuing genocide and crimes against humanity are backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely South Africa and Nicaragua. Although there is not a great deal of evidence using open-source material, there is circumstantial evidence linking South Africa to Hamas and Iran; there is also evidence pointing towards Nicaragua and Iran as well. These two countries are hounding Israel on a different world platform. But the two need to be careful as they are opening themselves up to close scrutiny from the world. Iranian “Quid pro Quo” we do not give and support you for nothing may well bear fruit in these scenarios. Iran is fighting Israel on as many fronts as it can including through legal challenges. South Africa and Nicaragua have now become political pawns of Iran and should be labelled “Iranian political” proxies.
There are no accusations from elsewhere stating that Israel had been committing war-crimes or crimes against humanity. There is clear evidence that Hamas had committed hostage taking and using live and dead bodies in order to gain concessions in ceasefire talks. There is also clear, videoed and documented evidence of rape by Hamas against Israeli civilians in their aggression against Israel.  
Yet, where are the accusations against genocide, rape and war crimes regarding Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups involved in the conflict? The same groups that planned and assaulted Israel that are now fighting a guerrilla war from tunnels built at the expense over a number of years and safety of the Palestinian civilian population from money syphoned off and clearly prepared before the 7th October 2023. Palestinian terrorist groups chose their battleground as they knew what was to happen after attacking Israel. All the International Criminal Court says is that all hostages should be released and that has not been mentioned on the South African second attempt at stopping the war. Instead, the ICC issues arrest warrants against Israeli politicians and equates them to the Hamas leadership.
It is all one-way traffic, there is no outcry regarding Abbas and Syria as there is no outcry against the war in the Sudan. They are Arab speaking countries.
Organisations and those who support these accusations against Israel need to have their ducks in the correct order before laying the blame at another country’s feet. Clearly by the way Israel conducts its war against Hamas and other terrorist groups they are doing their best to avoid civilians being in the line of fire. That is not genocide. The same cannot be said for Hamas, the PIJ and others who are involved in fighting against Israel.
However, that will not change the thoughts and challenges of those states who in reality who cannot tell the difference from what is right and wrong in the first place and leave unwarranted accusations unchallenged.
We will have to wait and see which other ‘Iranian political proxy’ tries its hand at putting a stop to the war between Hamas and Israel. A despot regime such as Venezuela, Cuba or Bolivia? Countries that will take financial incentives or the promise of having some form of money-making structure overhauled. That country will then become another pawn in a war that has nothing to do with them.
 
Paul Ashley
 
Further Information
[1]        Summary of ICJ’s Order of 24 May 2024 – Request for the modification of the Order of 28 March 2024 – Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) 24 May 2024 Summary of ICJ's Order of 24 May 2024 - Request for the modification of the Order of 28 March 2024 - Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) - Question of Palestine
[2]        United Nations Rape Allegation Report. 4th March 2024      United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict: https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/press-release/israel-west-bank-mission/
[3]        Hamas             Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood: https://www.lbcgroup.tv/uploadImages/ExtImages/Images2/Our%20Narrative-Operation%20Al-Aqsa%20Flood-Web_compressed%20(1).pdf
 

​"The bold and resolute action of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran resonated with millions of freedom-loving Muslims, grieving Gazans, and fighters from the Resistance factions, fulfilling the promise of truth prevailing over falsehood."
(Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari Tehran Times 16th April; 2024)
 
Humiliations of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Introduction
Since the November Islamic revolution of 1979, the State of Israel and the new Islamic Republic of Iran have not just been cold towards one another but covertly confrontational. Before the 1979 revolution relations between the two countries were very good. But up until the 13th April 2024 neither country had directly attacked each other. The closed war between both nations became an open confrontation when the Islamic Republic launched over three hundred drones, missiles and ballistic missiles directly at Israel for the retaliation of the IRGC members that were killed in Damascus, Syria on the 1st April 2024.
Recently the small period of the 1st April 2024 to the 19th April 2024 the Islamic Republic of Iran suffered a number of significant humiliations against the State of Israel and the United States.
But before those dates Iran has brought upon itself numerous humiliating scenarios. Not only have they lost high ranking members of their elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but also prominent scientists working on Iran’s ‘peaceful’ nuclear program. They also ‘sacked’ their head of intelligence as a result of numerous failures.
Add them all together and you see that Israeli and to some extent the United States have got the better of the Iranians and with little or no comeback. The Iranian government backed propaganda outlets boast and brag about retaliating but it’s more like an empty vessel making a lot of noise with nothing actually happening.
One example was on the 16th January 2024 when the Islamic Republic launched ‘precision missiles and drone attack’ at locations over the border in Pakistan. They claimed that their targets were members of a terrorist group Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jeysh al-Adl). According to reports obtained by the Tasnim news agency, these bases were specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks. In mid-December, the notorious Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm) terrorist group had stormed a police station in Sistan and Balouchestan province’s city of Rask, southeast of Iran, which resulted in the death of 11 Iranian Police officers.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” it warned, adding that “the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.” Pakistan recalled its envoy from Tehran in response. Pakistan retaliated and Iran gave a grovelling apology, another humiliation.
Like Pakistan when they recently stood their ground Iran launched an attack inside its country and Pakistan returned fire, Iran backs down very quickly when directly confronted. That in itself is a humiliation. This was also the case when Iran decided to launch numerous aerial weapons at Israel.
But before that we can look at other scenarios where bragging and boasting has not actually achieved any actions, just a lot of words.
Major General Qassem Soleimani
Qassem Soleimani was an Iranian Major General and commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF). He was a combatant of the Iran – Iraq war from 1980 to 1988. During his time fighting in the conflict Soleimani became involved in engaging, leading and organizing irregular warfare missions deep inside Iraq. After the conflict he was promoted to Brigadier General.
Soleimani was a very clever military strategist. His tactics against the United States, Israel and others were brilliant. By using the Iranian-backed proxies to conduct activities in an asymmetric war using guidance by Soleimani and the IRGC-Quds Force, Iran was able to stand in front of a camera or hold a press conference and deny any involvement with whatever incident had taken place. He and others of the Islamic Republic of Iran believed that the world was gullible in believing that Iran were not behind various operations that were carried out on behalf of an Iranian ideology. Those who justified and sanctioned attacks were General Qassem Soleimani and the next person in the chain of command, the Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. The second and current Supreme Leader.
Between them they pushed events to a brinkmanship while standing back watching incidents unfold and accepting deniability. However, Soleimani was under the spotlight by the Americans and the Israelis for his knowledge, operational ability and planning of attacks.
To the Iranians General Soleimani was a hero. A man to be worshipped and idolised. He was able to take the war and fight against the Iranian enemies but to a point whereby retaliation was not an option. To have a retaliatory attack, especially on a grand scale would have meant all out conflict and the inevitable downfall of the theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran.
To those Iran considered terrorists (the State of Israel and the United States), Qassem Soleimani was an irritation that needed to be scratched but was always just out of reach. With general Soleimani and his Quds Force using the cannon fodder of proxies to carryout actions it left Iran in a position where no retaliation would be taken against the Islamic Republic. Soleimani was clever in that way as he ensured the direct finger of responsibility could never be pointed at Iran.
On the 3rd January 2020 at the correct time and location that irritation could be scratched.
A United States drone strike killed General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis the deputy chairman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and commander of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia. Al-Muhandis was classified as a designated terrorist by the U.S. and the UAE. Both al-Muhandis and Soleimani were killed whilst on their way to meet the Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad.
The Pentagon said Soleimani and his troops were “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.”
Known as Iran’s “shadow commander,” Soleimani – who had led the Quds Force since 1998 – was the mastermind of Iranian military operations in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. He basically was the man behind the war against Israel, the United States and other western nations.
Iran took retaliation for his death. The Iranian military responded to Soleimani's death by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Iraq (Al-Assad airbase and one in Irbil which is in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq), resulting in no reported physical casualties but 100 traumatic brain injuries. Iranian officials and some western media analysts suggested the strike was deliberately designed to avoid causing any casualties to avoid an American response.
Today Iran is still pursuing revenge. They have taken the case for Soleimani’s death to the United Nations and have persuaded the Iraqi government to charge those responsible for his death in a civil case. The Tehran Government have also attempted to assassinate those they believe responsible in the United States itself.
Every anniversary since Soleimani’s death the Islamic Republic of Iran has vowed revenge.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
The real straw that broke the camel’s back was with the assassination of the Iranian top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. The scientist Fakhrizadeh was killed near Tehran on the 27th November 2020 in a very clever plot. Prior to this latest assassination Iran had lost five other nuclear scientists. Iran as usual took the case to the United Nations and claimed it reserved the right to defend itself. But against who? No-one had owned up to the assassination although it was greatly thought to have been Israel. Israel when accused, as usual, neither acknowledged or denied that they were behind the killing.
The Voice of America (VoA)[1] wrote; “Fakhrizadeh, the second senior Iranian military figure to be killed this year, has highlighted Tehran’s weakness in protecting key officials and its adversaries’ skill at eliminating them.” Fakhrizadeh, had headed the Iranian defence ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its Persian acronym SPND. Previously he had led a covert nuclear weapons program that Iran launched in the late 1980s and ostensibly abandoned in 2003.
Both Israel and the United States have vowed that Iran will never have access to a nuclear weapon.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed Israel for the scientist’s death. "Once again, the evil hands of Global Arrogance and the Zionist mercenaries were stained with the blood of an Iranian son."
Speaking to VOA Persian, Middle East security specialist Thomas Juneau, a University of Ottawa professor, said the assassinations of Fakhrizadeh and Soleimani represent serious security failures by the Iranian leadership. “You have to assume that both men were under very serious protection by the Iranian regime,”
In early December 2020 it was confirmed that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh had been killed using a remotely controlled weapon system.
A satellite-controlled machine gun with “artificial intelligence” was used in the assassination of a top nuclear scientist in Iran, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards told local media. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was driving on a highway outside Iran’s capital Tehran with a security detail of 11 Guards on the 27th November when the machine gun “zoomed in” on his face and fired 13 rounds, said rear-admiral Ali Fadavi. The machine gun was mounted on a Nissan pickup and “focused only on martyr Fakhrizadeh’s face in a way that his wife, despite being only 25 centimetres (10 inches) away, was not shot,” Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. It was being “controlled online” via a satellite and used an “advanced camera and artificial intelligence” to make the target, he added. Fadavi said that Fakhrizadeh’s head of security took four bullets “as he threw himself” on the scientist and that there were “no terrorists at the scene”.
Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, blamed Israel for the killing and asserted that it would not slow down Iran’s nuclear program. He also stated that retaliation would occur at a time of Iran’s choosing. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, emphasized that the assassination violated global norms and vowed to avenge Fakhrizadeh’s death.
Iranian Nuclear Scientists Assassinated
Personnel who have been killed for working on Iran’s ‘peaceful’ nuclear operations.
12th January 2010 Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a physics professor at Tehran University, was killed by a remote-controlled bomb planted on a motorcycle.
29th November 2010 Professor Majid Shariari, a member of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, was killed in his car on his way to work. His wife was wounded in the blast. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said that Shariari was involved in one of the country’s biggest nuclear projects but did not elaborate. It was thought that the explosive device was planted on his vehicle and remotely detonated.
23rd July 2011 Darioush Rezaeinejad, an electrical engineer working at a national security research facility, was killed by two gunmen on a motorcycle in Tehran.
11th January 2012 Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemical engineering graduate, was killed after two people on a motorbike placed a bomb on his car in northern Tehran. Iran identified Ahmadi Roshan as a supervisor at the Natanz Uranium Enrichment facility.
27th November 2020 Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated.
Both the United States and the State of Israel have been blamed by the Tehran government for the killings. In a number of cases Iranians have been arrested and executed for these attacks. The Iranian judicial system only flows one way and that is always in favour of the Islamic Republic. There are no such thing in Iran as a fair trial in the Islamic Republic.
Other IRGC Deaths
In December 2020 reports of more IRGC officers deaths hit the open source headlines. Arab and Iranian media reported the killings of two more high-level Iranian military and intelligence officials. Revolutionary Guard commander Muslim Shahdan was reportedly killed in a drone strike on his vehicle early at the Iraqi-Syrian border. Iranian opposition media reported previously on the 30th November 2020 that a high-level intelligence official, Habib Sawari, had been killed in an armed attack on his home in Iran's mostly-Arab Ahvaz region. The death was not confirmed by authorities.
Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodai was shot dead on the 22nd May 2022 outside his home by assailants on motorcycles, in a killing Iran blamed on “elements linked to the global arrogance,” its term for the US and its allies including Israel. It was the highest profile killing inside Iran since the November 2020 murder of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “The sworn enemies of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again revealed their evil nature through the assassination and martyrdom of an IRGC member. “This inhuman crime is committed by the terrorist agents that are affiliated with the global arrogance while those countries that claim to be fighting terrorism are regrettably silent and support it.” General Hossein Salami said, we will avenge his death.
Khodai was a member of the Quds Force and that he was “known” in Syria, where Iran has acknowledged deploying “military advisers”. The Guards described Khodai as a “defender of the sanctuary”, a term used for those who work on behalf of Tehran in Syria or Iraq.
Iranian aerospace engineer Ayoob Entezari died on the 31st May 2022. Reports of his death suggested he died under suspicious circumstances. Israeli media reported that he was poisoned at a dinner party. He worked Iran’s missile and drone programs. He was reportedly employed at a research and development centre in the city of Yazd, where he worked on developing missiles and drones. The governor-general's office in the central province of Yazd handed a certificate to Entezari's family confirming his "martyrdom", a label the Islamic Republic uses for people who died in the line of duty for the country.
Two members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force have been martyred in the course of duty. The IRGC base in Iran’s northern province of Markazi said in a statement that one of the Aerospace staffers, named Ali Kamani, has been martyred in a car accident in the line of duty. The accident happened in Khomein city, 250 km south of the capital Tehran. According to another report published by Fars on the 13th June 2022.  Ali Kamani was a member of the IRGC aerospace division and identified as a fighter of the aerospace unit.
The IRGC aerospace force is tasked with Iran’s missile development and space program. It was believed that he was involved in developing arms for Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Mohammad Abdous, serving in the Defence and Armed Forces Logistics Ministry, had been martyred in the course of duty. Abdous, 33, was martyred in Semnan on the 13th June 2022. He was said to have been working on Iran’s satellite program and helping to develop ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones). No official explanation was given for his demise.
IRGC member, Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh a commander of the Guards’ external operations unit, the Quds Force, died “in an accident in his home,” according to state news agency IRNA. He had reportedly ‘fallen’ from the roof of his house just outside of Tehran.
Esmailzadeh and Khodaei were reportedly “close associates” and officers in the IRGC’s secretive 840 Unit that carries out terror operations against Israeli targets abroad. Unit 840 in Syria is a relatively secretive operational unit, which is responsible, among other things, for planning and establishing terror infrastructure outside Iran against western targets and opposition groups. The IRGC’s intelligence wing had accused Esmailzadeh of involvement in Khodaei’s assassination by leaking information to foreign intelligence services, the report said, adding that the IRGC ultimately decided to kill Esmailzadeh by staging his suicide.
The Tehran Times reported on the 14th June 2022 Israeli media outlets had magnified some deaths in Iran in such a way that suggests Israel's long arm inside Iran. After the assassination of Sayyad Khodaei, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps colonel who was assassinated in a drive-by shooting in front of his home in Tehran, Israeli and western media launched a concerted media campaign to portray almost every death of civilian and military officials as suspicious, thereby insinuating that Israel was behind such deaths.
Despite Iranian announcements on the cause of these deaths, Israeli and western media unleashed their minds to imagine bizarre stories. In one story cooked up by a television news channel close to Israel, Kamani and Abdous were introduced as key members of an arms development and production program aimed at supplying Lebanese Hezbollah with arms. Tasnim said these reports were fictitious, unfounded and untrue. “This form of cooking up stories and disseminating untrue and undocumented data has become a new normal in recent years for media outlets opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran was desperately attempting to cover what was one of Israel’s undercover operations. It would be very hurtful not just to the Tehran government but also those few who held Iran in high regard. To have it known that Iran had been infiltrated by their number one enemy, Israel, then their beliefs of spreading their revolutionary ideology may be in tatters. The only way to ensure that nobody believed that Israel had infiltrated Iran and killed some of their top players was to cover them up with other elaborate excuses. The report from the Tehran Times also confirms this by publishing its propaganda on why so many of their drones and missile people had died.
Despite the Islamic Republic attempting to put up a smoke screen of denial they still wanted revenge. In reality they do not deliver and they end up being under the category of, an empty vessel makes the most noise’ in other words, nothing happens.
Hossein Taeb
During the 23rd June 2022 the Tehran government replaced the long serving intelligence chief without reason due to a number of murders against Iranian nuclear scientists and IRGC members thought to be by Israeli intelligence officers.
Hossein Taeb, was a prominent Iranian Shia cleric, who held a significant position within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He served as the head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization for several years. He was Iran’s “untouchable” spy chief, with close ties to the supreme leader.
The 59-year-old Taeb, who was previously a senior figure in the Iranian intelligence ministry, switched to the IRGC in the late 2000s, and was appointed as the head of the paramilitary Basij organisation[2] in 2008. One year later, the intelligence unit of the IRGC was formed and Taeb took its helm, a position he held until his replacement was announced on the 23rd June 2022.
Born in 1963 in Tehran, Iran, Taeb pursued religious education and attained an advanced degree in Islamic jurisprudence after studying in Tehran, Mashhad, and Qom. He joined the Revolutionary Guards in 1982 and worked in various regions, including Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad.
Taeb played a pivotal role in suppressing protests during the controversial 2009 Iranian presidential elections, which resulted in the loss of lives and arrests of protesters. The demonstrations began on the 12th June 2009 following the announcement of the presidential winner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He had reportedly won 63% of the votes. Three opposition candidates cried that the votes had been rigged in Ahmadinejad favour. The government of Tehran ordered the police and the paramilitary Basij (a paramilitary militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) to violently supress the demonstrators. Following a normal pattern of Iranian suppression those on the streets were pepper sprayed, beaten, arrested and tortured and in some cases shot. In public statements, Taeb cautioned Iranians about U.S. plots aimed at destabilizing the Islamic Republic, which is a normal response.
In June 2022, Taeb was dismissed from his position as the head of IRGC Intelligence. This move coincided with an incident where an alleged Iranian operation to attack Israeli tourists in Turkey was exposed, leading to arrests and diplomatic tensions. Additionally, other incidents suggested successful Israeli spy operations that Taeb failed to prevent.
Often the intelligence services from different countries will ‘leak’ information of this type. This not only stops the Iranian operation but also it means Iran cannot claim deniability once it has happened.
Hossein Taeb, faced a significant change in his position due to a combination of factors. While the exact reasons are not always transparent, there were some potential contributing factors. Decisions regarding intelligence leadership are often shrouded in secrecy. Speculation abounds, but official explanations may not provide the full picture. The Iranian government may have considered a combination of operational performance, political considerations, and international relations when replacing Taeb.
Ramezan Sharif, spokesman of the elite force, announced in a statement on the 23rd June 2022 that Hossein Taeb was replaced by Mohammad Kazemi, who previously headed the Intelligence Protection Organisation, the counterintelligence arm of the IRGC. However, a significant number of IRGC officers had been killed along with a number of Iranian nuclear scientists. Although this did not put a stop to Iranian activity it did however, put a dent in their operational capabilities for a short period of time.
Taeb’s tenure as the head of IRGC Intelligence was marked by several incidents that raised concerns. Notably, there were allegations of failed intelligence operations and security breaches. One such incident involved an alleged Iranian plot to attack Israeli tourists in Turkey. The exposure of this operation led to arrests and strained diplomatic relations. Additionally, there were indications of successful Israeli spy operations within Iran that Taeb’s intelligence apparatus failed to prevent.
The other factors that may have led to Taeb’s downfall was within the IRGC there was an internal power struggle but probably it was down to mounting concerns over the possible penetration of Iran's security apparatus by Israel.
The exposure of the Iranian operation in Turkey created tensions between Iran and Israel. Diplomatic repercussions may have influenced the decision to replace Taeb. The Iran–Israel conflict remains highly sensitive, and any perceived lapses in intelligence or security can have serious consequences. "Israel's successes not only in the nuclear field but in other areas required the Iranian leadership to reevaluate its intelligence and security systems, and make some personnel changes, including the person who ran that particular department.
While specific reasons may not be explicitly stated, a combination of operational challenges, diplomatic tensions, and internal dynamics likely led to Hossein Taeb’s replacement as the head of Iranian intelligence. This includes the assassination of top figures and other leading individuals.
The deaths of so many operational figures would obviously question as to how the Israeli’s knew about them? Their patterns and behaviour and their lack of personal security which would put them in a position where they could be eliminated. This would in turn make others very insecure, uneasy and nervous worrying about their own security. In the long-term those in the IRGC and the Iranian nuclear field would see a restriction on their work capabilities as they would be too busy looking over their shoulder to see if they were next. By replacing Taeb the Iranians believed that this would bring a calm to the storm and bring confidence back to their intelligence services.
All those who had been killed under the watchful eye of Hossein Taeb would have bought humiliation to the government of Tehran. Talk of divine vengeance were just becoming words after each death with no credibility when it came to someone paying for the crime.
Who Replaced Hossein Taeb?
Mohammad Kazemi, previously head of the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Protection unit replaced Taeb. Mohammad Kazemi is an Iranian intelligence officer and brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Prior to this role, Kazemi was in charge of the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organization, a counter-intelligence agency. His career trajectory reflects his significant involvement in Iran’s intelligence and security apparatus.
The Intelligence Protection Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is an Iranian intelligence agency operating within the IRGC. The agency split from the Intelligence unit of IRGC in 1984. Initially, it functioned primarily as a military intelligence unit. In 1991, the organization underwent restructuring and became an independent entity reporting directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Its primary tasks include surveillance of IRGC personnel and combatting espionage within the IRGC itself. The Intelligence Protection Organization focused on security and monitoring of the IRGC’s actions and staff. It actively works to detect and prevent espionage within the IRGC ranks.
The agency ensures the safety and integrity of IRGC members by monitoring their activities and identifying potential threats. The Intelligence Protection Organization plays a crucial role in maintaining the security and stability of the IRGC.
Its efforts contribute to safeguarding the IRGC’s operations and personnel from internal threats and external espionage. The Intelligence Protection Organization operates discreetly within the IRGC, ensuring the safety of its members and countering any attempts at infiltration or sabotage.
Fast Forward to the 1st April 2024
On the 1st April 2024 a strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The most influential IRGC military commander to die in the strike was General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Quds Force. Zahedi was most recently believed to be serving as chief of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon — a role that would have made him a top coordinator between Tehran and Hezbollah. Five other IRGC members were killed in the strike.
Mohammad Reza Zahedi was a contemporary and close friend of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the 62-year-old commander of the Quds Force, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, on the 3rd January 2020.
Zahedi was the third senior IRGC leader killed since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. His death is the most significant loss suffered by the Quds Force since the assassination of Soleimani four years ago and, before that, the death of Hossein Hamedani in October 2015. Described in a United States Treasury statement on the 3rd August 2010, as “the commander of the IRGC-QF in Lebanon,” Zahedi was accused of playing “a key role in Iran’s support to Hezbollah.” He “also acted as a liaison to Hezbollah and Syrian intelligence services and was reportedly charged with guaranteeing weapons shipments to Hezbollah.”
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi as a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese group’s decision-making body, a source close to the movement said. Zahedi was the only non-Lebanese on Hezbollah’s eight-member Shura Council, the equivalent of the powerful Shia Muslim movement’s political bureau, led by secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah in a previous speech, said his group “owed a lot” to the senior Iranian official. He continued, “lived with us for long years, away from the spotlight, and provided important services to the resistance (Iranian-backed proxy) in Lebanon and the whole region.”
A report in the Arab News stated; “It remains to be established beyond doubt whether or not Iran or its Quds Force was involved in the 7th October 2023 attacks on Israel led by Hamas last year. IRGC officials “may have directly authorized Hamas’s assault and assisted in planning it, though Hamas and the IRGC have insisted that the Palestinian group acted independently,” the Council on Foreign Relations said.
More Humiliation
On the night of the 13th April 2024 the Islamic Republic of Iran retaliated and called the operation against Israel “Operation Truthful Promise.”
According to the Institute for National Security Studies, the Islamic Republic of Iran fired 30 cruise missiles, none penetrated; 120 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel with 10 penetrating Israeli territory; 170 drones were fired, none penetrated; a few missiles caused slight damage to infrastructure and 85 tons of explosives were directed towards Israel. Ninety-nine percent of those launched at Israel failed to reach any target and were intercepted with 70 drones and 3 ballistic missiles downed by the United States. A number of other targets were destroyed by Israeli allies.
Damaged caused was minimal and the only military base to be targeted and struck was Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel which received minimal damage and continued operations. Israel vowed to respond to the weekend attack, with military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying Iran would not get off “scot-free.”
The attack by Iran was the first time that that Iran had attacked Israel directly and it was without a doubt a humiliating failure. Iran, after launching more than 300 aerial weapons at Israel failed to take revenge for the deaths of their IRGC commanders in Damascus.
On the 19th April 2024 after much debate the State of Israel launched a subtle attack against Iran.
Israel launched three high-tech missiles that was able to evade Iran’s radar systems to strike back at Iran. Several small drones were used to convince Iranian air defences that nothing serious was about to take place. One Israeli missile found its target. These small drones were thought to have been launched inside Iran.
The Israeli target was a Russian-made S-300 air defence system defending the airfield that supports the Eighth Shekari Air Base in Isfahan, believed to be part of a number of sites defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site. Once the target had been destroyed the other two missiles launched by Israel were detonated and terminated. Israel had achieved its aim.
The message was clear, simple and could in no way be misinterpreted. Israel could launch weaponry at Iran and hit their target without being detected. The unspoken message was clear, if you wish to continue then we have the ability to strike back, and unlike Iran, are able to penetrate air defence systems and hit their target which was different to Iran who sent over three hundred aerial weapons against Israel with only a few getting through.
Israel also had satellite imagery to back up their statement unlike Iran who had nothing but propaganda to its claims. If there were a next time then the target could be Iranian nuclear sites.
Speaking to NBC News through a translator, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the drones had taken off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed. “What happened last night was no attack,” said Amir-Abdollahian. “It was the flight of two or three quad-copters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran.” The ‘toys’ proved their point. Iran had yet again been humiliated.
Iranian propaganda denied any attack had taken place. Tasnim News stated that there were no reports of an attack from abroad against Isfahan or any other part of Iran. In another report they claimed the people of Isfahan in Iran are enjoying a beautiful morning as full security and calm prevail in the city following media rumours that the Zionist regime has attacked the central province, the home to a number of Iranian nuclear facilities. Other Iranian government-controlled news outlets ran similar propaganda pieces.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters there were no plans to respond against Israel for the incident. "The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack."
To admit that their number one enemy had the audacity to actually dare fire a missile at the Islamic Republic, then, avoid their impenetrable air-defence systems, and destroy their state-of-the-art Russian made air defence system would deny them any credibility. The truth could do serious damage to their leader’s reputation, their government credibility and to the people of Iran along with those who saw Iran as the leading country that stand against oppression and colonialism.
Summarise
Iran lost two main people at the beginning of 2020, Soleimani, and at the end of 2020, Fakhrizadeh, shows that the United States and the State of Israel have a far better intelligence system in place than Tehran.
Assassination of lead figures in the Irian’s ‘peaceful’ nuclear project were a clear breech of security and a threat to the country.
The loss of two significant generals in Syria (1st April 2024) along with several other commanders’ points to Iranian security being a problem as the Israelis knew the location, who was in attendance, when they were to meet and the time that the meeting was to take place.
The humiliation of losing three hundred aerial munitions without causing any significant damage to Israel for the retaliation of the 1st April 2024. Iran claimed that a message regarding the attack had been delivered to an intermediary before the 13th April 2024, but the details are somewhat muddy. This could have been a credibility saver if the attack was successful against Israel, a “I told you so” syndrome.
Although Iranian propaganda claimed their attack was a success and that all their drones and missiles found their target the Tehran government showed not satellite or photographic evidence to back up their claims.
The bragging of how Iran would react if Israel were to retaliate for the 13th April 2024 attack on Israel. What they would do, how they would do it and how Israel dared not even think about it. Their response would be harsh and quick should Israel attack them. As far as Iran was concerned that was the end of the matter. This way they could prove that they could successfully and directly attack Israel and Israel would never dare strike back. But, Israel had the last word.
Israel did retaliate. Not only did they send a munition at Iran but it penetrated their air defence and struck its target. The target was an air defence system on an Iranian military airfield whose operational assignment was to protect the Iranian nuclear site at Isfahan. The warning being that Israel, should they want to, penetrate their air defences and attack Irans nuclear facilities directly. The Iranian air defence network is based on the Soviet/Russian model. As was Saddam Hussein before he was defeated by superior western capabilities.
The climb down after the 19th April 2024 that Iran gave no response to Israel for giving a tit-for-tat direct attack. But the propaganda did not stop. The Iranian foreign minister made a joke of how the drones that were used were something children would play with in an attempt to belittle the attack which Iran claimed was by drones not a missile and that no damage could be caused by such “toys.”
Should Israel make waves about attacking Iran directly again the Iranian leadership must have serious doubts about their ability, especially after so many boasts and then failing in its operations. Already suffering humiliation in the eyes of the world, would Iran risk an attempt to directly attack Israel again? The big question would be, what would happen to Iranian credibility if they failed to cause any damage to their sworn enemy should they do so in the future?
Conclusion
Whilst Iranians mocked the attack on the 19th April 2024 against Iran  using ‘toys’ it is nothing compared to the world who freely mocked the failed, unsuccessful and embarrassing attack on the 13th April 2024 against Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although Israel does not admit nor boast about what it does or does not do, the same cannot be said for the government in Tehran who like to brag about anything and everything wherever and whenever in order to lie to the population that the theocratic rulers in Tehran are better than their enemies.
To admit that Israel had managed to infiltrate and successfully hit targets inside Iran by the 'Zionists' would be another humiliating blow after the disastrous and embarrassing worldwide unsuccessful attack on Israel on the 13th April 2024. Should Iran retaliate against Israel after this attack and fail, then they would not just be humiliated but would make their followers wonder if they are as strong as they brag about. By declaring, if they choose to, that they will not carry out any further action and leaving the matter at that they again show an unwillingness to avert another disastrous attack on Israel which on the reverse side also would make their followers wonder if they have the ability to conduct another attack.
Although in reality Iran successfully launched different assets at Israel in truth by using different weapons some being slower than others was a disadvantage. By launching slower munitions first puts their enemy on alert at an earlier stage. By the time the slow assets had arrived on target at the same time as the more sophisticate and quicker munitions, the Israeli and their allies would already have ‘stood to’ and were waiting for them.
Their replacing their head of intelligence has not worked either. The details of who, what, where and when for the meeting in Damascus with senior Iranian IRGC officials in attendance was too good an opportunity for Israel to resist and take action. The Israeli’s must have had prior notice from somewhere or someone.
The loss of senior and important military figures and scientists is also extremely embarrassing to the regime.
Whilst Iran has lost some significant figures Israel has lost none. That speaks volumes when it comes to internal and personnel security.
On a final note. Iran’s actions since before and after the 7th October 2023 and the attacks on Israel reveals to the world what a negative and destructive country the Islamic Republic of Iran actually is to those nations in the Middle East. Not only does it arm, train and finance terrorist organisations throughout the Middle East and beyond but also attempts to disrupt the Region by directly attacking another. In all their boasts about their drone and missile capabilities, Iran was once again been humiliated in the eyes of the world by Israel for penetrating their airspace and delivering a message.
 
Paul Ashley
 
 
Further Information
[1]        Voice of America is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest of the U.S.-funded international broadcasters. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content in 49 languages, which it distributes to affiliate stations around the world.
[2]        The Basij Resistance Force: A paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by order of Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Revolution, the organization originally consisted of civilian volunteers, often from poor, rural backgrounds, who were urged by Khomeini to fight in the Iran–Iraq War.
 
 

​Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi issued a message about the successful operation of the IRGC against the Zionist regime's positions, saying that the zealous IRGC forces taught a lesson to the Zionist enemy. 
(MEHR News Agency 14th April 2024)
 
Iran retaliates for the 1st April 2024 Attack by Israel on IRGC Members in Damascus
Introduction
On the 1st April 2024 a strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The most influential IRGC military commander to die in the strike was General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Quds Force. Zahedi was most recently believed to be serving as chief of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon — a role that would have made him a top coordinator between Tehran and Hezbollah.
Zahedi was the third senior IRGC leader killed since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. His death is the most significant loss suffered by the Quds Force since the assassination of Soleimani four years ago and, before that, the death of Hossein Hamedani in October 2015. Described in a United States Treasury statement on the 3rd August 2010, as “the commander of the IRGC-QF in Lebanon,” Zahedi was accused of playing “a key role in Iran’s support to Hezbollah.” He “also acted as a liaison to Hezbollah and Syrian intelligence services and is reportedly charged with guaranteeing weapons shipments to Hezbollah.”
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi was a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese group’s decision-making body, a source close to the movement said. Zahedi was the only non-Lebanese on Hezbollah’s eight-member Shura Council, the equivalent of the powerful Shia Muslim movement’s political bureau, led by secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah in a previous speech, said his group “owed a lot” to the senior Iranian official. He continued, “lived with us for long years, away from the spotlight, and provided important services to the resistance (Iranian-backed proxy) in Lebanon and the whole region.”
Iran vowed revenge
Security and Intelligence experts believed that Iran would have two option to retaliate at the death of its latest military commander and others that were killed in the strike. One would be to have their proxy’s carryout a retaliatory attack and the other was a direct attack emanating from the Islamic Republic itself. Many believed that Iran would not strike directly as they did not want add coal to the fire as tensions were already high due to the war that Iranian-backed Hamas had started on the 7th October 2023 when Hamas brutally and savagely invaded Israel.
Iran had also blamed the United Nations Security Council for its failure to condemn the Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus on the 1st April 2024. The United States, Britain and France opposed the Iranian ally Russia that would have condemned the Israeli attack. Diplomats said the US, backed by France and Britain, informed council colleagues that many of the facts of what happened on the 1st April in Damascus remained unclear and there was no consensus among council members during the meeting on the 4th April 2024. The US said it had not confirmed the status of the building struck in Damascus, but that it would be concerned if it was a diplomatic facility.
Israel claimed that it was ‘bracing’ itself for any retaliatory attack with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the country would harm “whoever harms us or plans to harm us.” “For years, Iran has been acting against us both directly and via its proxies; therefore, Israel is acting against Iran and its proxies, defensively and offensively,” Netanyahu said at the start of a security cabinet meeting late on the 4th April 2024. “We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle of whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them,” he said.
The Islamic Republic of Iran simply does not share the country’s wealth with the people. The regime invests all the money in developing its power, in weapons, in violence, because that’s the only way it can survive and realize its fanatical ideology. The regime is working to break up the west from within. They use democracy to fight democracies. They radicalize the youth in the United States and Europe, finance media and propaganda, and support universities, in cooperation with Qatar, and with the support of Russia and China. Just a few days ago, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in his meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh that their propaganda war is succeeding, and subsequently released a tweet, declaring: “War also takes place within the media, whoever has the strongest media in their hands will succeed in achieving the goals they seek.”
Israel for years had retaliated against Iranian-backed terrorist groups who had carried out terrorist actions against Israel on behalf o Iran. Israel had said that, that was not going to happen anymore. The Israeli government was going after those who were responsible for the attacks on Israel and its people. They would retaliate directly on those who sent the terrorists. Those in the Tehran government and those in the Iranian military.
Iran was feeling rather smug about itself. Israel had attacked one of their most senior military members and Iran stated that it would strike back. Iran was in the driving seat to pick its time, location and targets. “A wave of fear and anxiety has engulfed the Israeli regime and community about the high probability that Iran will hit Israeli targets in revenge for the martyrdom of IRGC advisers in the Zionist army’s airstrike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.” Was quoted in the government controlled news outlet Tasnim. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the Islamic Republic will make the Zionist regime regret this crime.
The Iranians even attempted blackmail with a carrot and stick approach. Iran informed the United States that it would refrain from responding to the airstrike in which senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders were killed in Damascus if a ceasefire in Gaza is reached. The report came as negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal resume between Israel and Hamas in Cairo and as Israel continued preparations for a possible response to the Damascus airstrike that Syria and Iran blamed on Israel.
The United States Biden administration promised “ironclad” support for Israel as Iran threatened reprisals over a strike that levelled an Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed two generals. Iran may have played on the relationship between the Israeli Prime Minister and the President of the United States who had been at odds lately in regards to how Israel had been conducting the war against Hamas.
President Joe Biden told a news conference. “As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.” He then said. “Let me say it again — ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
Iran made a statement to the United States that said; "The Iranian message was - we will attack the forces that attack us. Don't mess with us and we won't mess with you."
With countries and leaders waiting to see how and what Iran would do to react, Israeli officials warned Iran on the 10th April 2024 that the Islamic Republic would receive retaliatory strikes should it mount a direct attack against Israel. Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defence and Democracies (FDD) wrote: “Iran has long made clear that it’s happy to fight Israel to the last Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, or Yemeni. It is far less keen on direct confrontation. It should consider carefully whether revenge is worth the escalation promised on its own soil.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran did consider its actions and retaliated against the State of Israel on the evening of the 13th April 2024.
The Theocratic Government of Tehran Strikes Back
On the 13th April 2024 Israel closed schools and placed its armed forces on full alert due to the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is “closely monitoring a planned attack” against it by Iran and Tehran’s allies in the region.
Russia had told its citizens not to travel to the Middle East. The German airline Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines said on the 11th April 2024 that they were suspending flights to and from Tehran until the 13th April but would probably extend until the 18th April. Australia Quantas redirected its Perth-London flights to avoid Iran airspace. Germany urges citizens to leave Iran, saying there is a risk of sudden escalation. India advised against travel to Iran, Israel. France urged a no travel to Iran message including Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories. US restricted its staff in Israel from travelling outside cities amid the Iranian threat. A top US general visited Israel amid Iran retaliation fears: Pentagon. UK prepares evacuation as tensions rise in Middle East. The Dutch embassy was to close for several days. The United States Navy repositioned its warships in expectation of Iranian attack.
The threat of a strike by Iran had been taken seriously.
Sirens began sounding in southern Israeli communities around 0142 hrs and soon after extended to large swaths of the country. Iran had launched an armada of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) and cruise missiles at Israel in retaliation for their attack on their consulate in Damascus.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Spouts its Propaganda on “Operation Truthful Promise”
The Islamic Republic of Iran called the retaliatory strike against Israel “Operation Truthful Promise” also called “Operation Honest Promise” depending on the open-source outlet.
An Iranian cyber group named Handala claimed to have breached Israel's radar systems and sent hundreds of thousands of threatening text messages to Israeli citizens. The group alleged it infiltrated the radar systems and dispatched 500,000 text messages to Israeli citizens. "You have only a few hours to fix the systems," the message warned. The announcement, shared via Telegram, was scant on details but emphasized its significant success, potentially undermining Israel's national security. "You have only a few hours to repair the radar systems," the attackers reiterated in their message. The group also declared that a cyber-attack had also plunged vast areas of the occupied territories, including Tel Aviv, into darkness.
The Iranian government controlled news outlet the Tehran Times on the 14th April 2024 reported  "In response to various crimes of the Zionist regime, including the attack on the Iranian consulate section in Damascus and the martyrdom of some of our country's military commanders and advisors in Syria, the IRGC's Air Force targeted specific objectives inside the occupied territories by hitting them with dozens of missiles and drones," a news anchor said, reading a statement by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani issued a stern warning to nations aligning with Israel, cautioning that any countries abetting Israel in a possible attack on Iran would receive a decisive response from the Islamic Republic. “Whatever country that opens its soil or airspace to Israel for a [potential] attack on Iran, will receive our decisive response.”
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) released further information following a series of missile and drone strikes on Israeli installations within the occupied territories. The attacks which began Saturday night in response to the regime's striking of Iran's embassy in Damascus on April 1, has targeted multiple military sites across the occupied Palestinian lands. Reports show that so far 50% of the fired missiles have hit their designated targets. In its formal communication, the IRGC clarified the necessity for these offensive manoeuvres due to the United Nations' reluctance to admonish Israel for its brazen attack on Iran’s diplomatic premises as well as the regime's previous aggressions.
Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi issued a message about the successful operation of the IRGC against the Zionist regime's positions, saying that the zealous IRGC forces taught a lesson to the Zionist enemy. Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi issued a message about the successful operation of the IRGC air forces against the Zionist regime's positions in occupied lands on early Sunday (14 Apr 24). "I emphasize that any new adventure against the interests of the Iranian nation will be met with a heavier and regrettable response," President Raisi said in this message. “Last night, the zealous and courageous forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with the cooperation and coordination of all the defence and political sectors of the country, set a new page in the history of Iran's authority and taught a lesson to the Zionist enemy.”
Iranian government-controlled MEHR News Agency reported that informed sources reported that at least 15 Iranian missiles hit the strategic air base of the Zionist regime in the Al-Neqeb. Al-Manar citing informed sources announced that Iran has targeted Nevatim Air Base in the south of occupied Palestine [Israel] with 15 missiles early on Sunday [14 Apr 24]. Sources reported that following this attack, this base was damaged severely and became completely out of function. Nevatim air base is located in the south of the occupied territories in the Negev desert region and near the city of Be'er Sheva which is the main base of the F-35 fighters of the Zionist regime. The IRGC Air Force had practiced a missile attack on a simulated example of this Zionist air base last year. This base is about 1100 km away from the western borders of Iran.
Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the operation carried out by the force against the Israeli regime was more successful than expected. Major General Hossein Salami said on Sunday that the IRGC had received reports showing that part of the weapons fired by the force toward the Israeli-occupied territories had directly hit their targets.  “Our information on all of the hits is not complete yet but on that part of the hits that we have accurate, documented and field-related reports show that this operation has been carried out with a success that exceeded the expectation,” said Salami. He said that the IRGC was capable of carrying out a large operation against Israel but it opted for a more restricted and limited one to hit Israeli resources that had been used for an airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month which killed senior Iranian military commanders.
The order and sequence of this operation were carried out in a way that cannot be said now, as dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles were able to break through the deep layers of the seemingly reassuring air defence of the Zionists and the coalition between the United States and France and to influence the Zionist regime, Salami said.
Hezbollah terror group claimed to have fired dozens of rockets from Lebanon at an Israeli army base in the Golan Heights. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have launched multiple drones at Israel in coordination with Iran, adding that the projectiles were likely timed to reach Israel simultaneously. “Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) were reportedly launched by the Houthis toward Israel. The UAVs were launched in coordination with Iran,” the group said. “Israeli ports are assessed to be potential targets,” it added, and warned of “collateral damage” to shipping. According to Israeli Rear Admiral. Daniel Hagari, drones launched from Yemen and Iraq amid the Iranian attack had failed to reach Israel.
Iranians celebrated.  Iranian demonstrators chanted slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering in front of the British Embassy in Tehran early on the 14th April 2024 as Iran launched its attack. Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Iran early Sunday in a show of support for the unprecedented drone and missile attack against archfoe Israel. “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” chanted pro-government demonstrators in Tehran’s Palestine Square shortly after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the launch of Operation Honest Promise.
The Tehran Times claimed that despite Israel's egregious claim at having intercepted "99%" of the projectiles, footage captured by Israeli settlers in the vicinity of the targets showed Iran's missiles had landed exactly where they were meant to descend. The missiles and drones were fired from regions all across Iran. They passed by populated cities in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and occupied Palestine before hitting two Israeli military targets, one of them being a large intelligence base, Nevatim Airbase, from where an F-35 jet took off to target Iran’s consulate in Damascus. The Iranian government led propaganda outlet also claimed that no civilian sites were damaged in the process. It was called a ‘clean victory.’
Iran Threatens More Retaliatory Strikes if Attacked
Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri warned that Iran's response to any aggression will be much heavier. This operation has achieved its goals and there is no intention to continue it, Bagheri said, adding, "But if the Zionist regime takes action against Iran's soil or in Iran's centres in Syria or another country, our next operation will be bigger."
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says if the Zionist regime or its allies make another mistake, Iran's designed response will be more severe.
Iran also threatened the Americans by warning should they become involved in any retaliatory attacks then their personnel and bases would be targeted.
Reality of Irans “Operation Truthful Promise”
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral. Daniel Hagari first confirmed at 2300 hrs (local) that the attack, anticipated for several days, had begun. He later said Iran also fired missiles at Israel, while “numerous” fighter jets were in the sky countering Tehran’s attacks. Iran had launched more than 300 projectiles at Israel, comprising 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles, and that 99% of them had been intercepted by air defences. All 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles were downed outside of the country’s borders by the Israeli Air Force and its allies, he said. Not one drone or cruise missile managed to enter Israeli airspace.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said that the long-range Arrow air defence system managed to knock down the “vast majority” of the 120 ballistic missiles, although some penetrated Israel’s defences and struck the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. At Nevatim, “slight damage” was caused to the infrastructure, but the airbase was running as usual, Hagari said. “As you can see now, the base is functioning and continues to perform its tasks. In the picture, you can see the runway at Nevatim,” he said, showing live footage from the airbase during his press statement Sunday morning [14 Apr 24].
“Iran thought it would be able to paralyze the base and thus damage our air capabilities, but it failed. Air Force planes continue to take off and land from the base, and leave for offense and defence missions, including the Adir (F-35) planes that are now returning from a base defence mission and soon you will see them landing,”
This was contrary to what was reported in the MEHR News Agency who reported that 15 Iranian missiles had damaged the airbase severely.
Three US officials said the American military shot down Iranian drones headed toward Israel, without disclosing how many were shot down or the precise locations. Security said that US forces operating from undisclosed bases in the region shot down a number of Iranian drones in Sweida and Deraa provinces in southern Syria near the Jordanian border.
Royal Jordanian jets downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel, two regional security sources said in a dramatic show of support from Amman, which has heavily criticized Israel’s prosecution of its war against Hamas in Gaza. An Iranian military source suggested that Jordan may face severe repercussions and become the next target if it aligns with the Zionist regime.
Shortly after midnight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top defence leaders convened at military headquarters in Tel Aviv for a security assessment. A “senior Israeli official” was later quoted by Channel 12 news pledging an “unprecedented response” to Iran’s attack and urging Israelis not to go to bed due to what was coming Tehran’s way.
Israel’s Channel 12 news said the US was the first to identify the launch and immediately notified Israel, leading to a flurry of activity in Israel and its surroundings that led to widespread public assessment that an attack was imminent. State-linked media in Iran reported that a second wave of drones had been launched at Israel.
Two security sources in Iraq said dozens of drones had been spotted flying from Iran toward Israel over Iraqi airspace in what Iranian Press TV called “extensive drone strikes” by the Revolutionary Guards.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said its medics were treating a young girl in southern Israel who was wounded by shrapnel following the interception of an Iranian ballistic missile over the area. The 7-year-old Israeli-Muslim girl, from a Bedouin town near Arad, was taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where she was listed in serious condition. There were no other reports of injuries as a result of the Iranian attack.
The Iranian Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi says the warriors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) taught the Zionist regime "an unforgettable lesson" with their drone and missile operation. “Last night, your zealous and courageous children in the IRGC, with the cooperation and coordination of all the defence and political sectors of the country, turned a new page in the history of Iran’s authority and taught a lesson to the Zionist enemy.”
In reality those warriors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched unmanned drones and missiles at Israel and failed to reach one target.
Retaliation
After over three hours of deliberations on the 14th April 2024 afternoon, Israel’s five-person war cabinet did not reach a decision as to how the country would respond to Iran’s massive missile and drone barrage on the night of the 13th April 2024. The Israel Hayom daily newspaper cited, however, an Israeli official as stating that “there will be a response.” An official source in the Prime Minister’s Office said that while a decision has yet to be made, “the IDF will need to present options” and that “it is clear that Israel will respond.”
The United States has clearly stated that although they will stand by Israel in defence, they will not be involved in an attack directly against Iran. The British urged the Israeli’s to ‘take the win’ and ‘leave it.’
After Action Report
According to the Institute for National Security Studies, the Islamic Republic of Iran fired 30 cruise missiles, none penetrated; 120 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel with 10 penetrating Israeli territory; 170 drones were fired, none penetrated; a few missiles caused slight damage to infrastructure and 85 tons of explosives were directed towards Israel. Ninety-nine percent of those launched at Israel failed to reach any target and were intercepted with 70 drones and 3 ballistic missiles downed by the United States. Number of other targets destroyed by the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Royal Air Force no figures given
Damaged caused was minimal and the only military base to be targeted and struck was Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel which received minimal damage and continued operations.
The only real casualties were a small 7-year-old girl. She remains in a life-threatening condition after she was taken to Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba. Debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell directly on her home in a Bedouin town near Arad in the southern Negev region at approximately 0200 hrs. The Times of Israel reported that eight other people had been brought in with minor injuries, some of whom, like the girl, had been hit by shrapnel.
Conclusion
What is clear about the Iranian operation against the State of Israel is that the United States, Israel, Britain and Jordon’s air defences achieved a spectacular defeat against the Islamic Republic. For Israel and its allies to down a swarm of missiles and drones with very minor damage and one casualty is a huge success for them. Although what must not be forgotten is that Iran was able to launch such a multitude of aerial weapons at a target over a distance of 985.31 miles (1,585.70 km). The route would have been through Iraqi and Syrian airspace, therefore not causing international problems with other Arab states. Southern Iraq and Syria are both in the pocket of Iran. Iran will become more confident that it can unleash a multitude of drones and missiles at a target and not only get away with it at the United Nations Security Council but retaliation may or may not be forthcoming, especially after the threats of more and at a greater severity if they are attacked. The only real win for Iran who claimed all of its munitions hit their target was those responsible for Iranian propaganda. Not in any of the main propaganda outlets was there any hint of the failure to hit any target or cause major damage in response to the Israeli strike in Damascus. It is without a doubt that the victory goes to Israel and those who support them. Israel killed seven IRGC officers in a single strike on the 1st April 2024. Iran failed to strike anything with approximately 300 drones, missiles and cruise missiles on the 13th April 2024. This maybe a course of “To Be Continued.”
 
Paul Ashley
 
 
 
 

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President Ebrahim Raisi has said that the terrorist and criminal attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria is a sign of Israel's profound desperation and helplessness.
(Nour News 3rd April 2024)
 
IRGC Members Assassinated in Syria          
On the 1st April 2024 a strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The most influential IRGC military commander to die in the strike was General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Quds Force. Zahedi was most recently believed to be serving as chief of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon — a role that would have made him a top coordinator between Tehran and Hezbollah.
Mohammad Reza Zahedi was a contemporary and close friend of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the 62-year-old commander of the Quds Force, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, on the 3rd January 2020. It was Soleimani who appointed Zahedi commander of the Quds Force Lebanon Corps in 1998, a position he held until 2002, and to which he was reappointed in 2008. He was responsible for organizing support for the regime of President Bashar Assad during the Syrian civil war, and overseeing shipments of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah via Syria.
Zahedi was the third senior IRGC leader killed since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. His death is the most significant loss suffered by the Quds Force since the assassination of Soleimani four years ago and, before that, the death of Hossein Hamedani in October 2015. Described in a United States Treasury statement on the 3rd August 2010, as “the commander of the IRGC-QF in Lebanon,” Zahedi was accused of playing “a key role in Iran’s support to Hezbollah.” He “also acted as a liaison to Hezbollah and Syrian intelligence services and is reportedly charged with guaranteeing weapons shipments to Hezbollah.”
Yahya Rahim Safavi, former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Khamenei's chief military adviser, disclosed that Mohammadreza Zahedi was among four key figures he introduced to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The others mentioned by Safavi were prominent figures Qasem Soleimani, Ahmad Kazemi, and Mohammad Hajazi, all of whom have now died, two of them assassinated.
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi as a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese group’s decision-making body, a source close to the movement said. Zahedi was the only non-Lebanese on Hezbollah’s eight-member Shura Council, the equivalent of the powerful Shia Muslim movement’s political bureau, led by secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah in a previous speech, said his group “owed a lot” to the senior Iranian official. He continued, “lived with us for long years, away from the spotlight, and provided important services to the resistance (Iranian-backed proxy) in Lebanon and the whole region.”
The Hezbollah Shura Council is a critical decision-making body within the Hezbollah organization. The Deciding Shura Council serves as Hezbollah’s Supreme Council. It is headed by the organization’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. This council holds supreme authority and plays a central role in shaping Hezbollah’s policies and actions.
The Shura Council is responsible for all Hezbollah activities. It oversees both military and civilian aspects. Under its purview, there are five designated councils, each handling specific functions within the organization.
The Supreme Leader of Iran has a significant influence on the Shura Council. In case of a deadlock, the Supreme Leader casts the deciding vote. In summary, the Hezbollah Shura Council is the nucleus of decision-making, guiding Hezbollah’s actions, strategies, and overall direction.
A report in the Arab News stated; “It remains to be established beyond doubt whether or not Iran or its Quds Force was involved in the 7th October 2023 attacks on Israel led by Hamas last year. IRGC officials “may have directly authorized Hamas’s assault and assisted in planning it, though Hamas and the IRGC have insisted that the Palestinian group acted independently,” the Council on Foreign Relations said.
General Hossein Aminallah, Chief of Staff of the IRGC Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, and Brigadier General Haj Rahimi, a close friend and deputy of Zahedi, were also assassinated.
Five other Iranian advisers and officers were also neutralised, they were: Hossein Amanollahi, Mahdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sedaqat, Ali Aqababaee, and Ali Salehi Ruzbehani
Holly Dagres is a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank, the Atlantic Council. She is also the editor of the Council’s Iran Source and MENA Source blogs and curator for the weekly newsletter, The Iranist.  On her weekly newsletter, she described the attack as; “According to the Iranian ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, the building was hit by six missiles launched by F-35 jets. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack but has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years.
She continues; What’s the deal with the building regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate in Damascus? The building is next door to the Iranian embassy and has been described as a “consulate” on the embassy grounds in Damascus. The Iranian ambassador said that the strikes “targeted my place of residence and the consular section of the embassy, along with Iran’s military attaches.” The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, claimed that the target was “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.” However, Syrian media reported that the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria didn’t own the four-story building and that only the basement and two of the four stories were owned or rented by Tehran. The other two stories were said to be owned by Syrian families; one of the families reportedly lost two family members. Human shields.
Did Israel violate international law? According to a report by the New York Times:
“Diplomatic buildings are entitled to broad protections from attack or other interference by the host country under international customary law, codified in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Convention on Consular Relations… Those protections remain in force even if the embassy is used for criminal or military purposes… But while those rules of diplomatic relations are a bedrock principle of international law, they actually have little force in the case of the Damascus bombing, experts say, because they only refer to the responsibilities of the ‘receiving State’—in this case, Syria—and say nothing about attacks by a third state on foreign territory… An embassy can lose those protections, however, if it is used for a military purpose, as is true of schools, homes, and other civilian buildings during wartime.”
Nevertheless, on the 2nd April 2024 the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the strike and reaffirmed “the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” adding that all diplomatic personnel “must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.” The UN have still yet to condemn Hamas, who they see as a political party and not a terrorist group, for their brutal and savage attack on Israel on the 7th October 2024, six months ago.
The Islamic Republics Response was to be Expected Through Their Own Propaganda Networks
Tehran Times, 1st April 2024: Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the “barbaric” attack on the Iranian consulate openly violates international regulations, especially the 1961 Vienna Convention. Kanaani also said it is essential that this Israeli act be condemned in the strongest terms by the international community, especially the United Nations, and necessary measures taken in regard to the aggression. The ministry official went on to say that different “aspects of this horrible attack are under investigation and the aggressive Zionist regime is responsible for all consequences.”
Tasnim News, 2nd April 2024: Global Condemnation Follows Israel’s Deadly Strike on Iran Consulate in Syria. Many regional resistance groups and governments around the world have sharply condemned the Israeli regime's deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, calling it a formula for more violence. (Global?)
Let’s look at who ‘globally’ spoke about and who condemned the attack

• Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned it "in the strongest terms." It described the attack as "a flagrant violation of international law, an encroachment on Syrian and Iranian sovereignty, and a dangerous Zionist escalation."
• Hezbollah resistance movement stated that Martyr Zahedi's "pure blood will result in more determination to resist and confront the arrogant Israeli enemy." It stated that the Israeli government would be "foolish" to believe that such assassinations could "stop the roaring tide of people's resistance." “This crime will certainly not go without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge.”
• The Islamic Jihad, Hamas’ fellow Gaza-based resistance group, called the attack “treacherous.” “This cowardly Zionist attack is an attempt by the enemy to expand aggression and escape failure in Gaza,” it said, referring to the Israeli regime’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
• The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the second-largest component of the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella group, called the attack "a significant escalation and organized state terrorism." "The Zionist entity is intent on dragging the region into significant escalation," it said, but warned that doing so would "plunge its citizens into a bloodbath and disasters they cannot bear."
• Fatah al-Intifada, another Palestinian resistance movement, said the Israeli aggression would fail to undermine Tehran's role and the role of the Axis of Resistance, “which will continue to support the Palestinian people and their resistance in occupied Palestine until Palestine is liberated from the filth of the Zionist enemy.”
• Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah anti-terror group extended its condolences to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, referring to the attack as “criminal Zionist-American aggression.”
• In Yemen, Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the popular resistance movement Ansarullah's (Houthi’s) Political Bureau, said the invasion demonstrated the Zionist entity's persistence in committing crimes and breaching Syrian sovereignty.
• Arab News, 2nd April 2024: Saudi Arabia has condemned the targeting of the Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus, a foreign ministry statement said. The foreign ministry expressed “the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of targeting diplomatic facilities for any justification, and under any pretext.” The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We condemn the targeting of the Iranian consulate building in Damascus and denounce the targeting of diplomatic facilities for any cause."
• Several countries, including Pakistan, Oman, Iraq, and Russia, condemned the Israeli aggression, with Moscow describing it as "unacceptable."

Quite a respectable group of ‘global’ organisations of which non have condemned the Iranian-backed 7th October 2023 Hamas and PIJ attack on Israel that killed 1200 people. Murdered numerous women and children and raped an abundant amount of females and males; took against their will a number of shocked hostages of which some have been raped and died whilst held against their will in captivity.
Tasnim News, 2nd April 2024: The Iranian foreign minister said the country has sent an “important message” to the US government and held it accountable as the sponsor of the Zionist regime, which has conducted a fatal strike on the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said an official of the embassy of Switzerland, which represents the interests of the US in Iran, was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 12:45 am local time following the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack on the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus that has resulted in the martyrdom of several official military advisers of Iran. “An important message has been sent to the US government as the sponsor of the Zionist regime. The US must be answerable,” the Iranian minister stated.
US ambassador Robert Wood reiterated that Washington has communicated to Iran that it “had no involvement” in the strike on the consulate, nor did it have any knowledge of it ahead of time. “We cannot confirm any information about this event,” he said, adding that “as we gather details, one thing is clear: Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region.” “Terrorists and other armed groups, some backed by the Syrian regime and Iran, have used Syrian territory to plot and launch attacks on Israel and US facilities and personnel,” he added.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, mentioned that Tehran sent a significant message to the U.S. government, without revealing its contents. The message included a warning from Iran to the U.S., stating that the U.S. does not have the right to interfere when Iran retaliates against the Israeli strike. Iranian Mashregh news website also claimed that the U.S. was asked to exercise restraint and caution in picking sides in the ongoing developments.
“In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahu’s trap for US: Stay away so you won’t get hurt,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff for political affairs to Iran’s president. A White House National Security Council official told Al-Arabiya English that this was inaccurate, calling it “simply wrong – it’s Iranian spin.”
Tasnim New: 2nd April 2024: President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi pledged that the Zionist regime’s crime of conducting Monday’s fatal strike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus 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 president said the Israeli regime has resorted to blind assassination attacks in an attempt at survival after successive defeats and failures in the face of the resistance front.
The Zionist regime must bear in mind that it won’t be able to achieve its sinister objectives with such inhumane measures and will have to face the growing strength of the resistance front and also the free nations’ hatred and aversion to its illegitimate nature, President Raisi added. “This unfair crime won’t go unanswered,” the Iranian president warned Israel.
MEHR News Agency, 2nd April 2024: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the country will give a severe response to the Israeli aggression against its consulate in Damascus. Ghalibaf made the remarks on Tuesday morning (2nd April 2024), referring to the Israeli regime's Monday missile attack that targeted the building of Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus and led to the martyrdom of 7 IRGC military advisors.
Saying that the fresh Israeli aggression once again revealed the barbaric nature of this regime, Ghalibaf extended condolences to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Resistance officials, and the families of the martyred IRGC advisors.
The Zionists' aggressive and abusive actions will be met with a severe punishment, he stressed.
MEHR News Agency: 2nd April 2024: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the country will give a severe response to the Israeli aggression against its consulate in Damascus.
Saying that the fresh Israeli aggression once again revealed the barbaric nature of this regime, Ghalibaf extended condolences to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Resistance officials, and the families of the martyred IRGC advisors.
MEHR News Agency, 2nd Apri2024: Issuing a message, the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance e on the Iranian consulate and condoled the martyrdom of seven Iranian advisers.
Undoubtedly, the destruction of global Zionism is the punishment for assassination of Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his comrades, Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance wrote.
"Our relentless struggle continues until its realization," Esmaeili said.
"As in the past, we will not hesitate to take any cultural and media initiative to explain the unprecedented barbarities of Zionism," he said.
Today, more than ever, it is clear to the aware people of Iran how global Zionism is determined to kill the free people and the defenceless barefoot people of the world, he said.
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), 2nd April 2024: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) convened on Monday night and made “appropriate decisions” on how to respond to the Israeli regime’s deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi presided over the meeting in Tehran, where members of the SNSC discussed the Israeli aggression, which led to the martyrdom of seven Iranian military advisors.
“Due to another war crime by the Zionist regime against places and people with diplomatic immunity and the martyrdom of Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Supreme National Security Council held a meeting in the presence of the president as the head of this council last night at 21:00 and appropriate decisions were made,” the SNSC said in a statement on Tuesday (2nd April 2024).
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), 2nd April 2024: Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has vowed such a decisive response to the Israeli regime’s strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that the “much-loathed” regime will regret its action.
“The evil regime will be punished by the hands of our brave warriors. We will make them regret this crime and the like by God’s grace.”
The wording is of great importance within all these texts. Iran believes that it can conduct revolutionary idea and deeds and remain unpunished. However, if there is retaliation for their deeds then Iran believes that it will use any and all means necessary even if that means double standards. For example, while they use the United Nations to in an attempt to bring allegations of war crimes and genocide, they fail to mention what their sub-contractors, proxies and resistance groups conduct those acts themselves.
The blame is always elsewhere and never at Iran’s feet. Iran summons the Swiss consulate who oversee and act on American affairs in the country as the United States does not have an embassy there, to complain about the actions of Americans ally, Israel. If the same accusations were made against Iran, they would not accept the findings and call them ‘baseless.’
Interestingly, and not surprisingly, all these remarks are one-sided rhetoric. There is no mention of the continuous asymmetrical war conducted by Iran against the State of Israel, the United States and other western powers that they wage in order to spread their theocratic revolutionary ideology. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes it has a divine right to attack and kill whoever they and their proxies are ‘advised’ to without any form of retaliation or retribution.
Deaths of Members of the Islamic Republican Guards Corps (IRGC) Since the 7th October 2023
Since the conflict began on the 7th October 2023 the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost a number of the Islamic Republic Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders and ‘advisors’ to Israel strikes. These have been significant losses in Syria.
2nd December 2023 Israel killed two IRGC military advisors in Syria. The IRGC members were Brigadier Generals Mohammad Ali Ataee Shoorcheh and Panah Taqizadeh. The two were targeted after entering a Hezbollah site. The two died of their injuries and five other fighters were wounded.
20th January, 2024 an alleged Israeli strike in Damascus resulted in the deaths of several IRGC officers. General Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the IRGC's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria. Omidzadeh’s deputy, known by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam, Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi, and Mohammad Amin Samadi.
21st January 2024 an Israeli strike targeting an IRGC commander in Syria resulted in the loss of five IRGC members. The IRGC attributed this strike to Israel, its regional arch-foe. The British-based monitor, which has a vast network of sources inside Syria, said the deaths include “five Iranians, including three IRGC leaders, four Syrians working with the Iranians, one Syrian civilian, two Lebanese, and one Iraqi national”. Iranian news agency Mehr, quoting an anonymous informed source, said “the Revolutionary Guards’ Syria intel chief” and his deputy were among those “martyred in the attack on Syria by Israel.”
In a statement by the IRGC Public Relations Department, said the “savage and criminal Zionist regime” once again carried out an act of aggression against Iranian targets and Syrian sovereignty through its strike on Damascus. The Islamic Republic of Iran condemned the strike as a “desperate attempt to spread instability in region”, state media reported.
The Role of the Islamic Republican Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plays a significant role in Syria, particularly since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
The IRGC provides military assistance to the Syrian government. This includes training, equipment, and strategic advice. They have been instrumental in supporting the Syrian Armed Forces in their fight against various armed opposition groups.
The IRGC’s elite unit, the Quds Force, is actively engaged in Syria. Led by Major General Qasem Soleimani (until his assassination in 2020), the Quds Force focuses on extraterritorial operations. Their primary objective is to strengthen Iran’s influence in the region by supporting allies such as Syria and Hezbollah.
Syria serves as a crucial geopolitical ally for Iran. A stable Syria allows Iran to maintain a land corridor connecting it to Lebanon (via Iraq and Syria). This corridor facilitates the transfer of weapons, fighters, and resources to Hezbollah and others in the Levant, which is a vital proxy for Iran in the region.
The IRGC is involved in counterterrorism operations against groups like the Islamic State (IS) and other extremist factions. They collaborate with Syrian forces to prevent the expansion of jihadist groups within Syria.
Iran’s presence in Syria is part of its broader regional power projection. It aims to counterbalance other regional actors, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. The IRGC’s involvement in Syria reflects Iran’s determination to protect its interests and maintain a foothold in the Levant.
The IRGC’s presence in Syria has led to heightened tensions with Israel. Israel views Iran’s activities in Syria as a direct threat. Israel is constantly conducting airstrikes in Syria targeting IRGC commanders, weapons shipments, and infrastructure in Syria. These strikes aim to disrupt Iran’s efforts to establish a permanent foothold near Israel’s borders.
Syria has become a battleground for proxy conflicts between Iran and Israel. The IRGC’s actions in Syria are part of this broader struggle. Israel perceives the IRGC’s presence as a security challenge and responds accordingly.
 
United Nations Security Meeting
Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), 2nd April 2024: Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold an emergency meeting following a deadly Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus, a Russian diplomat says.
Tehran-ISNA- Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said the session will take place at 03:00 p.m. New York time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday. "After Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus …, Iranians have turned to the UN Security Council to condemn this action. Following their letter we have requested an open briefing of the UN Security Council,” he said in a social media post.
In a letter sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UNSC President Vanessa Frazier, Iran’s mission to the United Nations called on the world body to denounce the Israeli regime’s "heinous and abhorrent terrorist attack” that killed seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The strike was a “flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” read the letter authored by Iran's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Zahra Ershadi.
It carried "far-reaching international implications" that can exacerbate regional tensions.
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), 2nd April 2024: The United Nations Security Council will convene later on Tuesday to discuss the Israeli regime’s act of aggression against Iran’s consulate in Syria, according to Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.
“After Israel’s airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus today, Iranians have turned to the UN Security Council to condemn this action,” Dmitry Polyanskiy wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday night.
“Following their letter we have requested an open briefing of the UN Security Council. The Maltese presidency has scheduled it for 3:00 PM New York time on April 2nd,” he added.
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), 2nd April 2024: Iran demands urgent UNSC meeting on Israeli attack on consulate
The full text of the letter comes as follows:
Upon instructions of my Government, I am writing to you regarding the flagrant violation of fundamental norms and principles of international law by the Israeli regime wherein the Israeli occupying regime perpetrated a heinous and abhorrent terrorist attack on the diplomatic premises of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Syrian Arab Republic. At 4:45 p.m. on 1st April 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran's diplomatic premises in Damascus were intentionally targeted by missile airstrikes launched by the Israeli regime from the occupied Golan Heights, resulting in the martyrdom and tragic loss of at least five Iranian personnel, including senior military advisors, and the complete destruction of Iran's diplomatic premises in question.
These horrific crimes and cowardly terrorist attacks are a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law,  and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, as outlined in the 1961 Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons including Diplomatic Agents of 1973 and pose a significant threat to regional peace and security.
Considering the far-reaching international implications of such a reprehensible act which can exacerbate tensions in the region and potentially ignite more conflict involving other nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran urges the Security Council to condemn this unjustified criminal act and terrorist attack perpetrated by the Israel regime in the strongest terms possible. Furthermore, Iran calls upon the Security Council to take all necessary measures including through an urgent meeting to address this egregious violation, to prevent future acts of aggression that jeopardize the security and safety of diplomatic missions, and to ensure that those responsible for such criminal acts are swiftly brought to justice.
The aggressor Zionist regime bears full responsibility for its consequences and the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts.
I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council.
What is the Role off a Military Advisor?
Definition of “Advisors”
Chambers English Dictionary, page 19, Advise: to view, to take thought of, consider; to counsel: to recommend: to inform: to consult (with). Advisor, one who advises.
In the letter from Iran to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Iran makes reference to “senior military advisors” who were assassinated in the raid on the 1st April 2024. In the past the Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat threatened that if the Iran-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group opens a second front against Israel in the north, Israel will target Iranian leaders and “wipe them off the face of the earth.”
Hezbollah has constantly launched missiles into Israel more intensely than normal since the Hamas invasion of Israel on the 7th October 2023.
A military advisor serves as a crucial link between strategic decision-makers and the troops on the ground. Their role encompasses several key responsibilities.
Military advisors provide expert advice to senior commanders and policymakers. They analyse complex situations, assess risks, and recommend courses of action. Their insights help shape military strategy, operational planning, and overall policy.
Advisors work closely with foreign military forces or allied units. They assist in training, mentoring, and strengthening capabilities. This includes imparting knowledge on tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), as well as enhancing combat readiness.
Military advisors bridge cultural gaps. They learn about local customs, traditions, and social dynamics. Understanding the cultural context is essential for effective communication and cooperation with host-nation forces.
Advisors assess risks associated with military operations. They consider factors such as terrain, weather, and enemy capabilities. Their insights help commanders make informed decisions while minimizing risks to personnel and mission success.
Advisors facilitate communication between different military units, government agencies, and international partners. They foster collaboration, resolve issues, and ensure smooth coordination during joint operations.
In complex environments, advisors mediate disputes and promote stability. They help prevent escalation and maintain peace. Their diplomatic skills are crucial for managing tensions and building trust.
Military advisors encounter dynamic challenges. They adapt to changing circumstances, improvise solutions, and think critically. Their ability to solve problems on the ground is invaluable.
Hezbollah Escalation
Secretary General Nasrallah knows well that there was no appetite for war among a majority of the Lebanese population. In 2004, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1559, which called for the disarmament of non-state militias in Lebanon. This resolution specifically targeted Hezbollah, as it was the most prominent armed group in the country. Hezbollah’s rhetoric remains confrontational, their actions are often calibrated to prevent full-scale conflict. Not only does Lebanon want an all-out conflict but Iran does not want io commit its most powerful ally in the Levant.
Hezbollah, a Shiite movement in Lebanon, has evolved from a shadowy militia in the early 1980s to become a political powerbroker and the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor by four decades later.
After the end of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, Hezbollah was the only Lebanese faction allowed to retain its weapons. This exception was granted to enable Hezbollah to fight against Israel’s occupation of South Lebanon. Israeli forces withdrew from South Lebanon in 2000, but Hezbollah continued to maintain its armed wing.
Hezbollah has consistently rejected any calls for disarmament. Hezbollah justifies its weapons as necessary for resisting Israeli aggression and defending Lebanon. They argue that their arms contribute to Lebanon’s national defence, especially given the ongoing tensions with Israel. Hezbollah’s military strength also translates into significant political influence within Lebanon.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia and its allies suspended diplomatic ties with Lebanon after the then Information Minister, George Kordahi, criticized the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen. Kordahi was an ally of Hezbollah. The situation highlighted the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons and strained relations between Lebanon and Gulf Arab states.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, asserted that Lebanon would not “hand over” Hezbollah’s weapons. He emphasized that Hezbollah’s existence was non-negotiable in Lebanon. However, Lebanon also assured Gulf countries that it would not allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for activities that violate the interests of Arab nations.
The UN resolution called for no armed presence south of the Litani River other than those of the Lebanese Armed Forces and UN peacekeepers. It also called for Israel’s withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar, which Lebanon claims. Syria claims the southern part.
Hezbollah’s two objectives, as stated by Nasrallah, will be to put pressure on Israel to stop the war and to assist people in Gaza by forcing Israel to divert some of its resources to the northern border.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has rebuffed Washington’s initial proposal for stopping clashes with neighbouring Israel, such as pulling its fighters further from the border.
US envoy Amos Hochstein met Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, foreign minister, army commander and speaker of parliament in January 2024, Hezbollah had not been directly involved in talks as it has been branded a terrorist organisation.
A proposal was also communicated to Hezbollah that its fighters move seven kilometres (4 miles) from the border, two of the three Lebanese officials said. That would still leave fighters much closer than Israel’s public demand of a 30-kilometer (19-mile) withdrawal to the Litani River stipulated in a 2006 UN resolution. Hezbollah has dismissed both ideas as unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and the diplomat said. The group has long ruled out giving up weapons or withdrawing fighters, many of whom hail from the border region and melt into society when there are not hostilities.
Conclusion
Iran may not retaliate directly against Israel for the death of General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Although the Tehran government has stated openly it deserves the right to retaliate Iran is a little limited as to where it can strike at an Israeli embassy. Firstly, it has already requested that the United Nations act against Israel which has not happened. If Iran retaliates against Israel in the same manner, then it shows that they use the UN and if they do not get the action, they demand then they are prepared to take the law into their own hands in order to achieve what they command. When it comes to the UN Iran always wants its own way and if not, they claim that the reply is politically motivated or that they are anti-Iran. Secondly although Israel has closed some of its embassies around the world in anticipation of an Iranian retaliatory strike a number of Israeli embassies have shut down after the Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th October 2024 should sympathisers attack them. Thirdly, the country that hosts an Israeli embassy may also host an Iranian embassy as well. Unlike Israel attacking Iran in Syria where both countries dislike Israel, Israel does not have an embassy in Damascus. If Iran were to attack an embassy in a country where both Israel and Iran share then it would severely harm relations between that host country should Iran choose to attack Israel’s embassy there. Not only are Iran’s choices limited but they are possibly a non-starter when it comes to retaliation. If Iran attacks directly then they will suffer any fallout from that attack. It is more probable that Iran will use one or all of its proxies to conduct any retaliation and then claim deniability as usual. The choice of target and the execution of the retaliatory operation will have to be considered with great thought by the government of Tehran. The last thing Iran wants is an escalation to the conflict especially if it’s aimed at them for any sort of over-the-top revenge. But Iran needs to show face to those who follow that they carry out their actions and they are not just words. The revolution must continue but not at any cost. The accusation by the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who accused the action of Israel against its top figures as ‘profound desperation and helplessness’ is very wrong. The State of Israel is still very strong and willing not only to stand up against Hamas, the PIJ and Hezbollah but also against the puppet master, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
 
Paul Ashley
 
 
 

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“Iran would only sell weapons to countries that it is sure “won’t misuse them” and will employ them strictly for defence purposes.”
(Iran’s defence minister Amir Hatami, in an interview with state television on 18th October 2020 regarding the lifting of the United Nations arms embargo)
 
The United Nations and Iran Urge Immediate Stop of Arms to Israel
Hamas
Although the United Nations defines Hamas as a political party, we can break this down.
Hamas, officially known as Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military movement that governs parts of the occupied Gaza Strip. Unlike Hezbollah, which identifies as a Shia resistance movement, Hamas adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam. Hamas won the majority of parliamentary seats it was not elected to power. Hamas took control by a bloody and savage coup in 2007.
There have been signs that some Palestinian civilians are openly challenging Hamas’s authority. Angry crowds have thrown stones at Hamas police, and people in UN shelters have hurled insults at Hamas officials. While not all Palestinians are members of Hamas or support it, most agree with its basic ideology.
Hamas later established a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Its primary goal was to engage in armed resistance against Israel with the aim of liberating Palestine. In some cases, political parties have direct affiliations with armed groups. These parties fuse ballots and bullets, combining electoral participation with armed activities. Examples include Hezbollah in Lebanon and the IRA in Northern Ireland. Hamas and al-Qassam Brigades are no different.
A political group that once elected remains in power is often referred to as an “incumbent” party or government. When a party or leader wins an election and continues to hold office without being replaced by another party, they are considered incumbents. This situation can occur in various forms of government, including democracies and non-democratic systems. For instance, the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler maintained power after winning the 1933 election in Germany.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has functioned as a de facto one-party state under Hamas rule. However, smaller parties are tolerated to varying degrees. These include: Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a faction of Fatah that opposes President Abbas.
While Hamas maintains its dominant position, these smaller parties continue to exist, albeit with limited influence.
A one-party state, also known as a single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system, is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. All other parties are either outlawed or only enjoy limited and controlled participation in elections.
Sometimes, the term “de facto one-party state” describes a dominant-party system that, while allowing nominally democratic multiparty elections, effectively prevents the opposition from winning power due to existing practices or the balance of political power.
Historically, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ruling over the Ottoman Empire following the 1913 coup d’état is often considered the first one-party state. These states justify their existence through various methods.
Proponents argue that separate parties run counter to national unity. Some claim that the ruling party represents the most politically aware members and is the legitimate authority to govern. The Soviet government asserted that only a single party could lead a classless proletariat, thereby making the Communist Party of the Soviet Union the sole authorized political party.
Examples of one-party states include North Korea, China and Cuba.
United Nations
The United Nations does not call Hamas terrorists but a political party. The United Nations (UN) has a delicate stance regarding Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. He made this statement during a TV interview, emphasizing that he has worked with various groups, including those labelled as terrorists. Griffiths clarified that Hamas is viewed as a political movement by the UN, not a terrorist group.
The UN body formerly known as the 1267 Committee, now called the ISIL (Dae’sh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, does not officially designate Hamas (or any other Iranian proxy) as a terrorist group. Consequently, no UN condemnation of Hamas’s brutal attacks explicitly labelled the group as a terrorist organization.
While the UN does not officially label Hamas as a terrorist group, several countries and entities do. Israel, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have all designated Hamas as a terror organization. These designations are based on Hamas’s history of violence, suicide bombings, and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
Griffiths’ statement sparked outrage from Israel, which views Hamas as a terrorist entity. Israeli officials criticized the UN for what they perceive as bias against Israel. Despite Griffiths’ clarification, tensions persist regarding the UN’s handling of the Hamas issue.
On the 23rd February 2024 UN experts said, “any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.” The report continued with, “States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition — or parts for them — if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behaviour, that they would be used to violate international law.” Lastly the UN experts said, “the need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justice’s ruling on the 26th January 2024, that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians since then.”
Clearly the United Nations does not wish for Israels call for self-defence to be legitimate and there was no mention regarding the release of the hostages that were forcibly taken by Hamas, the Palestine Islamic jihad and other terrorist groups.
The United Nations has not called on Iran to halt its supply of weapons and ammunition to its proxies nor to stop other Iranian-backed terrorist groups from gaining military logistics from the largest state-sponsoring terrorist organisation in the world. Namely the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Attempts to Stop Supplying Weapons to the State of Israel
During the 11th and 12th January 2024 when South Africa accused the State of Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Iran supported such a move. The ruling failed to stop the war in the Gaza Strip. The judgement on the 26th January 2024 did state that Israel was to take measures to stop any form of genocide and avoid civilian casualties and the destruction of property. The court also stated that the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group release all hostages, unconditionally.
As of the 26th February 2024 the Israeli government was submitting a report to show how Israel was complying with the court’s decision. The court had stated that Israel submits a report within one month of its ruling on improving measures on the Gaza humanitarian situation and to stop the ‘plausible’ arguments regarding the accusation of genocide. The required report was not for the public domain.   
Calls from the Islamic State of Iran and other countries to stop the supply of weapons to Israel came after the Hague ruling. The Tehran government sees the court’s decision whereby Israel has to take all measures to stop the deaths of civilians and the destruction of property as ‘to stop supplying weapons and ammunition’ in order for Israel to cease the destruction and death in the Gaza Strip. This would help with the survival of Hamas.
The court recognised Israel’s right to self-defence. Should nations stop supplying military logistics to Israel then that would affect its right to self-defence. Iran has, bent and twisted, the court ruling to suit its own agenda, that of the destruction of the State of Israel.
Iran uses the excuse to arm its proxies by pointing out that the United States supports and provides weapons to Israel and other allies in the region. While Iran accuses the Americans of funding Israel and its defensive capabilities by supplying weapons and ammunition it does so openly and fairly in public business transactions, accountability and by government approval. Iran, on the other hands does none of those things. The American Senate and the House of Representatives has to approve the budget for these matters before any action is taken. Both houses of Congress must approve the legislation before Biden can sign it into law.
The Tehran government openly admits that it supports its proxy or resistance groups, but any attempt to look for any open business transactions for weapons, ammunition, missiles or parts of, then you will be there for a long time as the theocratic government does not publish such documents. Recently, on the 16th January 2024, while Iran states that it supports peace in Yemen a boat was intercepted smuggling sophisticated missile components to the Houthi’s.
Iran has been a key patron of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Here are the details regarding Iran’s funding to Hamas.
Annual Funding
According to a 2020 U.S. State Department report, Iran provides approximately $100 million annually to Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas. This does not include any funding for ordinary Palestinians. Hamas sees the welfare of the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip as a United Nations responsibility. However, as of 2023, an Israeli security source indicated that Iran had significantly increased its funding for Hamas to $350 million a year.
Relations between Iran and Hamas strengthened after the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) pursued peace efforts with Israel. During the 1990s, Iran committed to both military and financial backing, providing approximately $30 million per year. Additionally, thousands of Hamas members received military training at Revolutionary Guard bases in Iran and Lebanon. Following the Second Intifada, Iran’s support for Hamas continued to grow.
Iran and Hamas became dramatically closer after Hamas’ unexpected win in the 2006 Palestinian elections and its violent seizure of the Gaza Strip in 2007. In 2006, Iran committed to providing $250 million in assistance to the nearly insolvent Palestinian Authority in Gaza, now under Hamas control.
In the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) collaborated with Hamas to plan a surprise attack in southern Israel. The attack resulted in casualties and hostage-taking. Some 500 fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad received training in Iran, under the guidance of the IRGC Quds Force.
United Nations Arms Embargo Against the Islamic Republic of Iran
A decade-long United Nations arms embargo on Iran, which prevented it from purchasing foreign weapons such as tanks and fighter jets, expired on the 18th October 2020 as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers. This occurred despite objections from the United States, which maintained that the ban should have remained in place. While Iran asserts that it has no plans for a “buying spree,” it can now theoretically purchase weapons to upgrade its military armaments dating back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its locally produced gear abroad. However, in practice, Iran’s economy remains crippled by broad-reaching U.S. sanctions, and other nations may hesitate to engage in arms deals with Tehran due to fear of American financial retaliation.
Iran is currently negotiating a deal with its ally Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi Su-35 air-defence fighter and is supplying drones to Russia.
The Trump administration had warned that any sales of weapons to Iran or exports from Iran will be penalized. Although the arms embargo has technically expired, the U.S. insists that it reimposed all UN sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, via a clause in the nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew in 2018. However, this claim has been ignored by the rest of the world.
Iran, on the other hand, views the end of the arms embargo as a “momentous day for the international community” and a win for multilateralism and peace and security in the region. The then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, flatly rejected the expiration and emphasizes that the U.S. was prepared to use its domestic authorities to sanction any individual or entity materially contributing to the supply, sale, or transfer of conventional arms to or from Iran.
In an interview with Iranian government state run television on 18th October 2020, Iran’s defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran would only sell weapons to countries that it is sure “won’t misuse them” and will employ them strictly for defence purposes. Iranian weapons were found in Gaza by the IDF a report in the Jerusalem Post sated on the 18th February 2024.
The European Union  
The European Union (EU) holds a balanced position regarding Hamas. Official EU Statement (October 2023). The European Council has condemned Hamas in the strongest possible terms for its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel. The EU deeply deplores the loss of lives caused by these attacks. In a statement the EU emphasizes that there is no justification for terror. The EU strongly emphasizes Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with humanitarian and international law.
It also calls on Hamas to release all hostages without any precondition.
The EU remains committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution through reinvigorated efforts in the Middle East Peace Process.
In 2014, the EU had designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. However, in 2019, the European Court of Justice annulled this designation, citing issues with the process and the need for specific evidence. The EU has since worked to reinstate the designation to protect its regime against further legal challenges.
While the EU acknowledges Hamas’s role in the region, it balances this with the need for peace and stability. The situation remains controversial, and the EU engages with various actors to prevent further escalation. The EU views Hamas as a group responsible for violence but navigates a delicate path to address the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On the 12th February 2024 EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged allies of Israel, primarily the United States, to stop sending weapons to Israel. However, there are some EU countries that have halted weapon exports to Israel. The countries are Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. These countries have stopped for the time being should there be a situational judicial case to answer in the Israeli ‘plausible’ case of genocide.
On the 26th February 2024 Josep Borrell responded to questions about his assertion in January that Israel had “created” and “financed” the Hamas militia group, a claim made amid the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza. “I do not say that (Israel) financed it by sending a cheque, but it has enabled the development of Hamas” as a rival to leading Palestinian party Fatah. “It is an unquestionable reality that Israel has bet on dividing the Palestinians, creating a force to oppose Fatah,” he said.
Nothing was mentioned regarding Iranian support for Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad group and how they obtain their weapons.
We should understand how Hamas evolved.
The Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna in Ismailia, Egypt, has undergone significant evolution over the years. Initially, the Brotherhood focused on religious and educational programs, providing essential social services. In the 1930s, its membership grew rapidly as it addressed social needs. However, it began to politicize its outlook, opposing Egypt’s ruling Wafd party during World War II.
In the late 1930s, the Brotherhood established an armed branch, which engaged in violent acts like bombings and assassinations. The group’s armed element sometimes operated independently of Hassan al-Banna’s control. In 1948, the Brotherhood assassinated Prime Minister Maḥmūd Fahmī al-Nuqrāshī. Hassan al-Banna himself was assassinated shortly afterward, possibly at the government’s behest.
With the 1952 revolutionary regime in Egypt, the Brotherhood went underground. An attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954 led to its forcible suppression. Several leaders were executed for treason, and many members were imprisoned. Writer Sayyid Quṭb, imprisoned during this time, authored influential works that shaped modern Sunni militancy.
Over the years, the Brotherhood experienced ideological shifts. From an active participant in a nationalist movement. To a banned group operating underground, leaning toward armed struggle. And then back to a reformist-minded party.
After the 2011 uprising in Egypt, the Brotherhood briefly held power. Despite challenges, it continues to pursue its mission, navigating a complex path in the ever-changing political landscape. the Muslim Brotherhood’s evolution reflects a blend of social services, political activism, and ideological adaptations, shaped by historical events and internal dynamics.
The Evolution of Hamas
Israel did not create or finance Hamas contrary to claims by the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Hamas, founded in 1987, emerged during the First Intifada against Israeli occupation. Its origins trace back to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement, which had been active in the Gaza Strip since the 1950s. Here’s how Hamas evolved from its roots.
Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian imam and activist, established Hamas in 1987. Before this, Yassin had been associated with the Mujama al-Islamiya, an Islamic charity affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
The outbreak of the First Intifada provided the context for Hamas’s formation. It quickly gained a broad following among Palestinians. Unlike the traditional Muslim Brotherhood approach, Hamas embraced armed resistance. It became the first Muslim organization to use suicide bombers as a tactic against Israel.
Hamas leaders recognized that waiting for a Palestinian state was futile, given Israel’s superior military strength. In 1999, Hamas moved its leadership from Jordan to Syria. Between 2001 and 2008, Hamas underwent significant changes. It restructured its organization and strategic vision. It sought a strong base of support deeply rooted in society.
It became an independent organization, distinct from the formal leadership of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. Its ties with the Jordanian regime and the Jordanian Brotherhood evolved. Hamas evolved from its Muslim Brotherhood roots, adapting its strategies and organizational structure to navigate the complex dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and regional politics.
What was the Muslim Brotherhood’s Stance on Israel?
Historically, the Brotherhood has advocated anti-Israel sentiments. It has supported violent resistance against Israel and terrorism. Some prominent Brotherhood members, like Dr. Muhammad Mursi, were involved in committees against Israel and Zionism. The Brotherhood’s rhetoric has included anti-Semitic claims, portraying Jews as innately evil and enemies of Islam.
While the Brotherhood itself is Sunni, it has embraced movements like Hamas, which is Sunni but closely aligned with the Brotherhood. Hamas considers itself the spearhead of the struggle against Israel.
Hezbollah, a Shia resistance movement, also shares anti-Israel sentiments. Although not directly affiliated with the Brotherhood, it has received support from Iran, which has influenced its stance on Israel.
The Brotherhood’s political platform, published in 2007, offered an alternative to the Mubarak regime in Egypt, including a different approach to Israel. Its position has evolved over time, influenced by regional dynamics and internal considerations. The Brotherhood’s stance on Israel has been marked by both anti-Israel rhetoric and pragmatic political choices. It’s essential to recognize that different leaders within the Brotherhood may hold varying views.
The understanding of Hamas evolved is important and proves Mr Josep Borrell statement regarding Israel forming Hamas as incorrect.
Fatah
The other organisation that Josep Borrell mentioned was Fatah. This is a brief round-up of the group.
Fatah, also known as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a political and military organization of Arab Palestinians. It was founded in the late 1950s by Yasser Arafat and Khalīl al-Wazīr (also known as Abū Jihād). Fatah’s primary aim was to liberate Palestine from Israeli control through low-intensity guerrilla warfare.
Initially, Fatah focused on armed struggle against Israel. It obtained Syrian support and was based in Damascus. In 1964, Fatah carried out its first military operation by blowing up an Israeli water-pump installation.
By 1968, Fatah had emerged as a major Palestinian force, especially after its strong showing in the Karameh battle in Jordan. It became the largest and best-funded of all Palestinian organizations and took over effective control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
In the late 1980s, Fatah began seeking a two-state solution through diplomatic avenues. Its leaders played prominent roles in the Oslo peace process, which led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. Fatah’s journey reflects both militancy and a shift toward negotiation in pursuit of Palestinian rights.
What is the History of Iran's Involvement with Terrorist Groups?
Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has faced accusations from several countries regarding its involvement with terrorist groups. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused of training, financing, and providing weapons and safe havens for non-state militant actors. These include, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and other Palestinian groups such as Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
These groups are designated as terrorist organizations by various countries and international bodies like the EU, UN, and NATO. However, Iran considers them to be “national liberation movements” with a right to self-defence against Israeli military occupation.
Iranian Republic Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF)
Iran’s special operations unit, the Quds Force, plays a significant role. It provides arms, training, and financial support to militias and political movements across the Middle East, including; Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen.
How has Iranian Supplied Arms and Ammunition Effected the Security of the Middle East?
Iran’s involvement in supplying arms and ammunition has had significant implications for the security dynamics in the Middle East. Iran’s military-industrial complex has expanded rapidly since the mid-1990s. It reportedly exports weapons to fifty-seven countries, including conflict zones, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The actual export value is likely higher than reported and is expected to rise further as restrictions are relaxed.
Iran’s primary arms customers are believed to be in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. It offers cheap and reliable weapons, which may attract emerging markets. However, due to economic sanctions, Iran closely guards its export figures and customer identities.
Independent investigations have found Iranian weapons and ammunition in service with various nonstate entities. These include foreign-backed insurgents, rebel forces, Islamist armed groups, and warring civilian communities in countries like Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraqi Shiite militias are also beneficiaries of Iranian arms.
Potential Threats to Regional Security
The upsurge in arms exports could affect Iran’s allies and proxies in the Middle East and beyond. If such equipment ends up in the wrong hands, it poses a threat to regional security. Terrorist and extremist groups in the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa could gain access to Iranian weapons.
What has the United Nations done to Deter Iran Exporting Arms and Ammunition to Others?
The United Nations (UN) has taken several measures to address Iran’s arms exports. UN Security Council Resolution 2231. On the 20th July 2015, the UN adopted Resolution 2231 specifically related to Iran. This resolution endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
In March 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1747, which established an embargo on the export of all arms and related materials from Iran. This embargo effectively prohibited all states and groups from purchasing or receiving arms from Iran.
The UN arms embargo on Iran would have expired on the 18th October 2023 had it been left to run its natural course. Despite this expiration, the United States has been closely monitoring Iran’s actions. The international community stands ready to respond swiftly and severely if Iran engages in such arms transactions. In the past the UN has played a crucial role in regulating Iran’s arms exports, but recent developments have raised concerns about potential proliferation and its impact on regional security.
How does the United Nations Police Iran’s Arms Exports?
The United Nations (UN) has taken several measures to address Iran’s arms exports. Annex B of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (17th July 2015) endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
The UN monitors and reports on Iran’s compliance with the arms embargo. The Security Council receives regular updates on Iran’s arms-related activities. This information helps shape international responses and decisions.
Member states collaborate to prevent illicit arms transfers by sharing intelligence, track suspicious shipments, and enforce sanctions. Cooperation among nations is crucial in policing Iran’s arms exports.
The UN sanctions regime aims to deter Iran from exporting arms. Diplomatic efforts encourage Iran to comply with international norms. Sanctions may be imposed on entities violating the embargo. Policing arms exports is challenging due to covert channels and regional dynamics. Balancing security concerns with diplomatic engagement remains delicate.
The exporting of drones to Russia in its illegal war against the Ukraine along with other countries has proven to be extremely difficult to police.
How Effective has the United Nations (UN) Policing Iran’s Arms Exports Been?
The effectiveness of the United Nations (UN) in policing Iran’s arms exports has been a topic of concern and debate. Despite heavy sanctions, Iran has managed to build a burgeoning arms industry over the last decade.
It has become proficient in producing cost-effective ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Iran’s arms exports have raised concerns, especially to countries like Syria, Venezuela, and Russia, as well as various armed factions in the Middle East. These exports raise worries about human rights violations and the risk of civilian casualties in conflicts.
The expiration of UN arms embargoes allowed Iran to import and export conventional arms. The lifting of restrictions on components for ballistic missiles and UAVs further raised international concerns.
Iran has reportedly developed a global arms industry, with an estimated 200 to 240 production sites across Iran and other countries. It specializes in cost-effective ballistic missiles and UAVs.
The European Union (EU) and the United States have imposed separate restrictions on Iran’s arms trade to reduce proliferation. However, these restrictions are regional and do not carry the same weight as UN Security Council measures.
Iran’s arms exports pose a threat to regional security. There are claims that these weapons have been used in attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq by Iran-backed militias. The lack of Iran’s participation in the Arms Trade Treaty exacerbates concerns about potential misuse of exported weapons. The UN has implemented embargoes and monitored Iran’s actions; challenges remain in effectively policing Iran’s arms exports. Regional and national restrictions play a role, but the situation remains intricate.
Who Supplies the Weapons to Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad Terrorist Groups?
Both designated terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), receive support from various sources.
Iran established ties with Hamas and PIJ in the 1980s. Iran provides funding, weapons, and training to these militant groups. Iran transfers several types of artillery rockets, including Fajr 3, Fajr 5, and M302s (originally made in Syria) to Gaza. Tehran focuses on equipping its allies and proxies, including Palestinian factions, with the knowledge and equipment to produce rockets locally. The goal is to enhance their ability to operate Iranian-delivered rockets and build their own missiles.
Historically, Iran smuggled weapons via Sudan, where the IRGC Quds Force operated warehouses. Some rocket production for Palestinian factions may have been constructed there. These rockets were then smuggled via Egypt through tunnels from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. However, Egypt has sealed or destroyed many tunnels since 2013.
How are Weapons Smuggled into the Gaza Strip?
Weapons are smuggled into the Gaza Strip through various covert methods, despite strict border controls.
Smuggling Tunnels. Underground Network: The Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels are a network of tunnels dug beneath the Egypt–Gaza border, specifically along the Philadelphi Route. These tunnels were initially created to subvert the blockade imposed on Gaza and facilitate the smuggling of essential goods, including fuel, food, and weapons.
These tunnels serve as secret passages for transporting weapons, ammunition, and other contraband into Gaza. They connect the southern part of Gaza (in Palestinian territory) with the smaller part of Rafah located in Egypt (Rafah is situated on the border between the two countries). The first recorded discovery of such a tunnel by Israel was in 1983, after Israel had withdrawn from the Sinai. These tunnels often start from basements of houses in Rafah on one side of the border and end in houses on the other side.
After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, control of the Rafah Border Crossing shifted. Israel declared that Palestinians would not have control of their side of the crossing, leading to restrictions on movement. Egypt intermittently opened and closed the Rafah crossing during this period. The Kerem Shalom crossing became the primary route for goods, supervised by Israelis and monitored by EU personnel.
In June 2007, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip. Following this, both Egypt and Israel largely sealed their border crossings with Gaza, citing the absence of Palestinian Authority security on the Palestinian side. Despite these measures, weapons continue to be smuggled into Gaza. Arms suppliers use tunnels as an alternative route to supply weapons, bypassing maritime control by the Israeli Navy.
In 2009, Egypt began constructing an underground barrier to block existing tunnels and make new ones harder to dig. However, some smuggling persists. In 2013–2014, Egypt’s military destroyed most of the 1,200 smuggling tunnels. The Gaza Strip’s smuggling tunnels remain a critical conduit for weapons and other contraband, despite efforts to curb their use.
How did Egypt Destroy the Tunnels into the Gaza Strip?
Egypt employed several methods to destroy the tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. In 2015, the Egyptian military initiated a strategy to flood the tunnels by transferring Mediterranean Sea water to the Rafah border area. Egypt also attempted to flood the tunnels with sewage. A newly-built crude canal was filled with seawater, which flowed into the tunnels, rendering them unusable. These tunnels, often 20 meters deep and stretching up to 300 meters inside Egyptian Rafah side, were severely impacted by this flooding. The Egyptian government aimed not only to disrupt the tunnels but also to economically weaken Hamas.
Egyptian military bulldozers destroyed many homes on the Egyptian side of Rafah to create a buffer zone. This zone extended between 500 and 1,000 meters on the Egyptian side and 1,000 meters on the Gaza side. Entire neighbourhoods were flattened to prevent tunnel construction and secure the border.
The flooding approach caused concern for the local environment and the livelihoods of communities living around the border. It led to ground subsidence, damaging already-meagre homes and livelihoods. Egypt’s efforts aimed to curb the “tunnel economy” that had flourished in Gaza, but it also affected civilians and their homes.
Israel also attempted to combat Gaza’s tunnels by digging a canal and pumping seawater into the 14 km borderline with Egypt. However, due to environmental damage and risks to natural aquifer water systems, Israel eventually built a separation wall instead. Despite these efforts, desperate Gazans continued to build tunnels to escape Israel’s economic restrictions.
Has the Destruction of Tunnels from Egypt to the Gaza Strip Worked?
The destruction of tunnels from Egypt to the Gaza Strip has had mixed results. While some tunnels have been rendered unusable due to flooding and buffer zones, others continue to operate. The flooding strategy and buffer zones have disrupted several tunnels, making them impassable. The destruction of tunnels has weakened the “tunnel economy” that relied on smuggling goods and weapons. Hamas impose a tunnel tax to assist with revenues. Egypt’s efforts contribute to border security and prevent illegal activities.
Despite these measures, some tunnels remain operational. Desperate Gazans continue to build new ones. The flooding approach caused environmental damage and affected local communities. Bulldozing homes and creating buffer zones displaced civilians and impacted their livelihoods.
Does Iran use the United Nations for its own Revolutionary Cause?
Iran, with its revolutionary ideology and geopolitical interests, has strategically engaged with the United Nations (UN) to further its goals. Iran actively participates in UN forums, including the General Assembly and various specialized agencies. It uses these platforms to advocate for its revolutionary principles, challenge Western dominance, and promote its vision of a multipolar world.
Iran cites international law and UN resolutions to support its positions. For instance, it refers to Resolution 2231 (related to the Iran nuclear deal) to argue against sanctions and arms embargoes.
Iran engages in soft power diplomacy by highlighting its commitment to human rights and social justice. It uses UN mechanisms to criticize Western countries and project itself as a champion of justice.
Iran builds alliances with like-minded countries within the UN. It collaborates with nations that share its anti-Western sentiments, especially in the context of anti-imperialism and anti-Zionism.
Iran often challenges Western narratives and policies within UN debates. It criticizes the United States and its allies, particularly regarding issues like Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
Iran strategically uses the UN to advance its revolutionary cause, shape global narratives, and challenge Western dominance. Its engagement is multifaceted, combining diplomacy, legal arguments, and propaganda.
Some examples of the Iranian use of the United Nations
During a session at the United Nations on the 6th February 2024 Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said that regional groups act independently. The Iranian government run news outlet Fars News Agency reported: Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani once again stressed that the resistance groups in West Asia are not directed by Tehran and do not take orders from Tehran, adding that they have legitimate rights to end the illegal US presence in Iraq and Syria, stop the killings in Gaza and end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Addressing a United Nations Security Council meeting on the threat to international peace, the ambassador touched on anti-Israeli and anti-US operations by various resistance groups across the Western Asia region.
“All of the resistance groups in the region are independent and their decisions and actions are motivated by their legitimate rights under international law, which include ending the illegal presence of the US in their territories, stopping the genocide in Gaza, and ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories,” he said.
“Therefore, any attempt to attribute these actions to Iran or its Armed Forces is misleading, baseless, and unacceptable,” Iravani added.
“It is evident to everyone that the root causes of the crises in the region are occupation, aggression, and the continued genocide and horrific atrocities [that are being] committed by the Israeli regime and fully supported by the US against innocent Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” the envoy stressed.
For all the trouble that Iran causes in the Middle East on the 11th February 2024 the Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi called for the expulsion of Israel from the United Nations following the Zionist regime’s military onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip. They failed to mention who was the chess master behind the attack nor the Israeli hostages held by their proxy groups.
On the 24th February 2024 Iran declared that it would be the voice of Palestine at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
On the 26th February 2024 Islamic Republic of Iran Foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian attended the 55th session of the Human Rights Council. Iran foreign minister in his speech said: The Islamic Republic of Iran remains steadfast in adhering to and respecting human rights and dignity based on its national cultural values and the Islamic teaching.
Using the world platform, he went on to say, “Unfortunately, the realization of the lofty goals of human rights is faced with some trying challenges, the most urgent of which is the systematic and widespread “human slaughtering" by the world's only apartheid regime i.e. the occupying war-mongering regime of Israel.”
The world is witnessing the maximum support for the Israeli atrocities by the United States of America and some of its allies that make them complicit to the ongoing crime of genocide. The Human Rights Council must hold the Zionist regime and its supporters accountable for the atrocity crimes committed in the occupied Palestine.
Islamophobia, which is mainly a result of racist and supremacist discourses in some political circles in the West, still persists in many ways. The consequence of such extremism is the rise in discrimination and religion-based violence in different parts of the world against Muslim individuals and communities and their sanctities. This is all the while that Islam is a religion of mercy and humanity, and this challenge needs to receive continuous attention in the Human Rights Council. The national, cultural and religious values and beliefs of nations should be respected and the imposition of a single prescriptions for all nations should be avoided.
Within these examples its easy to see how the Islamic Republic uses any and all platforms to drive home their hate against those who oppose them. Regarding human rights and according to the Global Economy human rights ranking website from 2007 – 2022 the Islamic Republic of Iran had the second worst human rights record in the world. Israel was rated at number 141. The Iranian backed Houthi’s in Yemen being the worst with Norway being the best.
The Biden Administration
Once Joe Biden, the New American President came to office on the 20th January 2021 doubts crept in regarding America’s response to its allies in the Middle East. The administration wanted to renegotiate the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) with Iran which his predecessor Republican Donald Trump had withdrawn from in 2018. The Democrats had used the renegotiation as an election promise. Once in the White House Biden toned down his stance and rhetoric against Iran in the hope that all parties would return to the negotiation table and he could bring about his electoral promise. But Tehran is one of these governments that will take and offer nothing in return.
American allies in the Middle East saw this as allowing Iran to basically do what it wanted in West Asia and relax the policing of sanctions against them. The allies believed that this action would bring about an even worse unsettling peace in the region than by not keeping Iran in check.
The Biden administration stated that they would always help their allies in times of need. The allies were not convinced and even swayed towards Russia as a possible replacement.
The Biden administration has since proven that they stand by their word on supporting their allies in times of need. The Arab nations of the Middle East did not envisage the Hamas attack on the State of Israel on the 7th October 2023. But, true to their word, the United States is supporting their ally, Israel. Those Arab nations who wanted the reassurance of the Americans did not expect the 7th October nor the response from the Biden administration nor that it would be the State of Israel that would be the first in need of American assistance.
Nations must understand that there are Israeli’s and Arabs living in the same region. If they all want peace then any interfering body must be kept out. That includes any and all proxies and the support of those entities.
Conclusion
It appears that the request by the United Nations is somewhat one-sided as are some views in the European Union. The major disruptive actor in the region of West Asia who supports, trains, funds and supplies are the one at fault by continually stoking the embers of a fire in which the flames do the damage. It’s all very well demanding that countries stop selling military equipment to Israel but if that happened it would make the Iranian revolutionary goal of destroying Israel that much easier. By stating that one side of the conflict be denied weapons and military logistics but allowing the other to receive weapons and ammunition is both idiotic and biased. The only way to stop more conflicts similar to the Israel/Gaza situation is to be more pro-active in dealing with those responsible for the upset in the Middle East. Like a chess master, Iran uses its pawns to fight its battles but keeping its main pieces in reserve. Hamas have been proven to be a terrorist group but the United Nations refuses to see that and then blame another state for the current chaotic and catastrophic events. The United Nations is aware that Iran uses them for a double-edged reason but it appears that no one confronts Iran for their propaganda use on a world platform, thus allowing them to spread more lies. The United Nations seems to blame Israel but in reality, if the UN was to take a more aggressive stand with Iran, then this and other events in the Middle East may not happen. It is time that the UN, the EU and those who live in the Middle East come together and outlaw the Tehran government if it wants a settled peace negotiation. Hamas have been proven to be a terrorist group but the United Nations refuses to see that and then blames another state for the chaotic and catastrophic events. Perhaps once the conflict in Gaza has ended, countries, nations and world bodies will see that they cannot keep turning their back on the main cause of problems in the Middle East but make moves to end them once and for all. It will be time to stand up to the plate and ensure that a conflict such as the one in Gaza never happen again.
 
Paul Ashley

 
“The further backward you can look, the further forward you are likely to see.”
(Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill)
 
Israel and Hamas Conflict: Time is Running Out for Hamas?
Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad Preparations and After the 7th October 2024
No doubt when Hamas and the Islamic Republic of Iran started to plan for the day that Hamas would invade Israel, they would have studied every conceivable concept and scenario, Israeli reactions and the tactics they employed in order to pre-empt the Israeli response. The leaders would have studied many of the conflicts that Israel had been involved in and how they would have reacted. Conducting TEWT’s (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) paper exercises on desk-tops and discussions without having soldiers on the ground. As it turned out Hamas also had mock sites built for its fighters to rehearse the attack. They would have studied the Six-Day war in June 1967, the War of Attrition 1967 – 1970, the Yom Kippur War October 1973. Other conflicts in which Israel had been involved which would have been carefully looked at would have been those closer to home such as fighting against the Palestinians themselves. The First Intifada 1987 – 1993 the first full scale Palestinian uprising against Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Gaza War of December 2008 – January 2009; the 2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip or Operation Pillar of Defence (November 2012) – Military offensive on the Gaza Strip, 2014 Gaza War or Operation Protective Edge (July–August 2014) – Military offensive on the Gaza Strip as a response to the collapse of American-sponsored peace talks amongst other clashes. Although Hamas studied other conflicts and believed itself to be well prepared it did not choose the course of action well. Hamas chose the battle field, the Gaza Strip. With its miles of numerous tunnels to be used in a guerrilla style war where they could ‘pop up’ inside Palestinian civilian areas anywhere and inflict damage on the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) then safely disappear. Hamas chose to use the population of the Gaza Strip as human shields; the guiltless, the females and the children, knowing that an Israeli response would see the death of many innocents as Israel fought against Hamas and others in the tiny enclave of the Gaza Strip. Hamas chose fire positions in Mosques, schools, hospitals and the ordinary homes of Palestinians to fight against the IDF. Hamas was relying on world opinion and the mass casualties to stop the war and reduce Hamas’s capabilities in the Gaza Strip. Israel would be forced to withdrawal and Hamas would remain intact and remain in power. The taking of Israeli hostages would see the release of hundreds if not more Hamas, PIJ and others personnel released from Israel jails. A ceasefire would be inevitable and the prisoner swap would happen. Giving Hamas and others total victory over Israel along assisted by Iranian propaganda. Then, when Hamas and the PIJ thought they would be able to read and react to the Israeli response to an invasion, a date would have been proposed and Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and possibly smaller Palestinian terrorist groups would put into operation the plan to invade Israel. That date would have been the 7th October 2023 and Operation Al-Aqsa Flood would commence. The date is as infamous as the unprovoked attacks by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour on the 7th December 1941 and the unprovoked attack by Al-Qaeda against the United States World Trade Centre, New York, and the Pentagon on the 11th September 2001.
Israel Response
Between the 7th October and the 27th October 2023 Israeli commanders and politicians would have studied at how they had reacted and operated in the past. Then changed their Standard Operating procedure (SOP) and decide to conduct an operation against the terrorist group differently, catching Hamas and others off guard. This would have been the beginning of the end for Hamas. Hamas were confident in the knowledge of what they undertaken, that confidence must have shrunk when the IDF started their ground offensive in the Gaza Strip but not to the plan they had envisaged. From that point on Israel started one of the objectives that it stated after the brutal and barbaric murder of its citizens on the 7th October 2023. The dismantling and elimination of the terrorist group known as Hamas.
Marches and Rallies
The war sparked a huge response by people around the globe demonstrating focusing on different aspects relating to the conflict. Demands for a ceasefire, an end to the blockade, returning Israeli hostages, protesting against Israeli war crimes, and providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Protests against Israeli action in Gaza were notably large across the Middle East and North Africa with support from Europe and the Far East.
The war continued.
The Temporary Ceasefire
Qatar mediated a temporary ceasefire between the warring factions which came into effect on the 24th November 2023. An agreement was reached that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. after weeks of indirect negotiations. The deal provided for a four-day pause in fighting, a halt to air traffic over northern Gaza during certain hours of the day and over southern Gaza entirely. The release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The truce ended an hour before it was scheduled to have done on the 30th November 2023 when the Israeli ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence system detected an incoming missile that had been launched from the Gaza Strip. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "Hamas is the reason that the pause ended, because they refused to put on the list additional women and children that we know that they are holding and they're refusing to let go."
The war continued.
The Slow Decline of Hamas
The US, along with mediators Egypt and Qatar, had continued to push for a hostage release agreement that would be accompanied by a truce, with a Hamas delegation arriving in Cairo 8th February 2024 for negotiations. On the 9th February 2024 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the that peace proposal on the grounds that Hamas wanted bizarre demands. The peace proposal was rejected by Israel from Hamas, saying its demands were “delusional.” The terrorist group had proposed a truce plan that would see a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire during which hostages would be freed in three stages and which would lead to an end to the war. The Hamas proposal set out that Israeli troops would withdraw from the Gaza Strip leaving Hamas still intact and continue to rule in Gaza. They also wanted the release of 1,500 prisoners from Israeli jails, a third of whom were serving life sentences. It made other various demands of Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister stated that nothing short of total victory over the dismantling of Hamas and the return of the hostages would count. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said “Netanyahu’s comments are a form of political bravado, indicating his intention to pursue the conflict in the region.” Meaning Hamas had not got its own way. Prior to the Hamas offer Israel had offered Hamas a two month ‘pause’ in the conflict for the release of all hostages. But Qatar based Hamas leaders were aiming for a permanent ceasefire that would have left the organisation intact. In order to apply more pressure against the Israeli government by families of the hostages, Hamas’s armed wing spokesman Abu Obeida said in an audio message, “Losses amongst (Israeli hostages) have become many while other hostages live in extremely difficult conditions.” The spokesman went on, “We warned dozens of times about the dangers to which their hostages are being exposed. We didn’t want the situation to reach this stage, but (Israel’s) leadership ignored us.” he added, “For months, we tried to protect and care for the lives of these hostages, as it is our top humanitarian goal to liberate our own prisoners and to realize the legitimate rights of our people.” On the 18th February 2024 the Arab News wrote that the talks on a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza “have not been progressing as expected.”
The war continued.
The Demise of Hamas
Hamas are losing. They are now fighting to keep what little power they have. Their proposition of the later state’s ceasefire proves that they are on the ropes. By requesting the release of terrorist’s held in Israeli prisons, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip is a sign of desperation. They need a permanent ceasefire to survive, and quickly. Israel is holding its ground knowing that it’s now a determination battle to see who gives in first. Israel will never surrender what they have achieved. They are dismantling Hamas piece by piece and those other terrorist groups that stand with them, Hamas knows this and is now trying to salvage what it can. This is where the hostages come into play. Hamas knows that Netanyahu is under immense pressure on the home front by families whose loved ones are still in captivity and Hamas is using this home front pressure to create what little advantage they have. The Israeli government is more than aware of this. Unless the hostages, dead or alive, are returned then the Hamas terrorists are under pressure to give in to the Israelis by surrendering all the hostages and yielding. By attempting to ‘negotiate’ under their terms for a return of those illegally held, they hope to keep some sort of hold in the Gaza Strip. This will not happen as Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas terrorist network. Remember Hamas has promised that it will do the same in the future. Israel has promised that this cannot and will not occur. Those who want the peace between the two cannot guarantee that it will never happen again. Should Israel withdrawal under the Hamas demands it would mean that Hamas would have the capability to return and conduct the same operation as they did on the 7th October 2023. With Israel disagreeing to Hamas’s peace proposal and accusing Israel of committing genocide proves that they are losing the battle, contrary to what the Iranian government claims. Iran is still stating that Israel is committing genocide, wrongfully, as stated in the IJC Hague trial on the 26th January 2024 where it was stated that there is only a ‘plausible’ possibility that Israel was committing the act of genocide. It’s a political style of blackmail. Currently the Israeli Army is preparing to send in the ground army to fight the remaining four Hamas battalions held up in the southern Palestinian city of Rafah. With 60 to 70% of Hamas’s fighting force decimated the remainder will have to be destroyed. Yahya Sinwar the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip is now fighting for his life, his reputation and survival.
Human Shields
The Times of Israel reported on the 8th January 2024 that the Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar the leader of the Gaza Strip and the brain behind the savage and brutal attack on Israel on the 7th October 2023 had gone a step further. He is thought to be in hiding and surrounded by Israeli hostages in Rafah. The captives are been held in order to protect him by using them as human shields. An Israeli news outlet reported that Sinwar spoke to hostages shortly after they were illegally abducted. Sinwar told the group, “Hello, I am Yahya Sinwar. You are the most protected here. Nothing will happen to you.” A hostage who was present recounted the incident to a family and also briefed security officials, who confirmed the story. There are beliefs that approximately 132 hostages out of the 240 taken are still being held by Hamas and other terrorist groups. Not all are thought to be alive but Israel has always defined those who have been kidnapped and are either dead or alive in captivity as a hostage until they are returned back to Israel. It is thought of the 136 that Hamas is holding 29 are dead. Hamas are threatening the future of the hostages by stating if the Israel forces advance into Rafah, it would “blow up” the Qatari and Egyptian-mediated talks. On the 11th February 2024 Hamas’ armed-wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said, “Israeli strikes on the Gaza strip over the past 96 hours have killed two Israeli hostages and seriously injured eight others.”
Israeli Special Forces rescued two hostages from captivity in Rafah Gaza in the early hours of 11th February 2024.  
This is a typical ‘carrot and stick’ ploy. Leave the Gaza Strip and save the hostages or fight on and they die.
Destroying the Hamas Leadership
One method of ensuring an organisation cannot function is to remove the central leaders, the decision makers and the main organisers, it’s called ‘decapitating of the leadership’. Sometimes the method of decapitation and decapitating a group’s hierarchal leadership can work effectively at best but on the other hand it may be counterproductive. But by removing those who believe that they are untouchable leads others to doubt their own safety and moral which effects its followers leading to a demoralised group. The Israeli government is a follower of the policy decapitation, to remove those in power of a terrorist organisation. Hamas is just one group. After the butchery by Hamas’s operatives on the 7th October 2023 during the unprovoked attack, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar reportedly said on the 4th December 2023 that Israel will hunt down Hamas in Lebanon, Turkiye (Turkey) and Qatar even if it takes years. He said, “this our Munich.” Referring to the Israeli response in 1972 when the terrorist group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic team in Munich, Germany. Israeli athletes were taken hostage at the athletes’ village. Within 24 hours, eleven Israelis, five Palestinians and a German policeman were dead after a rescue effort erupted into gunfire. The Israeli response to the murders of the Israeli athletes was to put a specialised group together to track down and kill those responsible. The operation was known as “Operation Wrath of God.” Israel put a covert operation in place using its security agency, Mossad, to assassinate individuals who had been directly or indirectly involved in the massacre of the Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Israel begins to Keep its promise.
On the 2nd January 2023 Hamas deputy secretary-general Saleh al-Arouri and seven others from the Hamas military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades were killed in Beirut, Lebanon. Al-Arouri was a hardliner who over the past couple of years participated in coordination meetings involving Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at their “joint war room” in Beirut. Two others of the seven that were killed were leading Al-Qassam commanders. The US had a $5 million bounty on Saleh al-Arouri and designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2015. On the 8th January 2024 Hassan Akasha was eliminated in Beit Jinn, an area under Syrian government control close to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel claimed that Akasha was a central figure responsible for rockets fired by Hamas from Syrian territory toward Israel in recent weeks. “Since the beginning of the war, Akasha directed Hamas terrorist cells which fired rockets from Syria toward Israeli territory.” Three senior members of the Hamas police in Rafah were killed on the 10th February 2024 as a result of an airstrike on their vehicle in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, west of Rafah, Gaza Strip. Those killed were the director of investigations Ahmed Eliakubi, his deputy Iman Rantisi, and Ibrahim Shatt. Eliakubi. All were responsible for the security provisions for senior Hamas leaders in the Rafah district. More deaths of those who conspired in the 7th October 2023 are likely to be targeted and eliminated.  
Demise and Disruption
It is estimated that Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades has between 30,000 – 40,000 fighters although some believe these figures are exaggerated. According to the Times of Israel on the 17th February 2024  the Israeli military has estimated that it has killed about 11,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza since the war began along with more than 1,000 during the 7th October 2023 attack, amounting to about 30% of the group's total fighting force. According to the Al-Arabiya News the number of Palestinians arrested since the 7th October 2024 had reached 7,000 leading to a further decimation of the terrorist group. Israeli numbers are far lower. According to the IDF in a report written in the Jerusalem Post on the 12th February 2024 the total number of IDF servicemen and women to lose their lives since the start of the Israel-Hamas War to 566 (These numbers may also include those murdered by Hamas on the 7th October 2023). The Times of Israel on the 13th February 2024 wrote that the IDF had lost 232 soldiers since the start of the ground offensive against Hamas which commenced on the 27th October 2023. The same newspaper on the 4th December 2023 claimed that 274 IDF soldiers had been killed on the 7th October 2023 by Hamas. Taking into account the dates between the two reports and reporting errors the IDF have lost a very small fraction of those Hamas terrorists killed by the IDF. Communications are difficult with Hamas relying on ‘runners’ as the Hamas communications network has been disrupted. Hamas leaders are reportedly communicating using handwritten notes carried by runners. The terror group is said to have employed aging landline phone network since 2009 to keep conversations hidden from Israeli eavesdropping, but war damage has forced Hamas to use lower-tech methods, which also includes communicating with Hamas political and military leaders along with others outside of the Gaza Strip. The Iran-backed – South Africa imitative at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), (the highest legal justice court in the world), to bring an immediate end to the war by claiming that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinians was heard on the 11th and 12th of January 2024. The court ruled against the Iran backed – South Africa case that Israel was conducting a genocide approach to the Palestinians on the 26th January 2024. The result failed to force Israel into an immediate cessation of hostilities meaning that the war continued.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Propaganda
On the 2nd January 2024 the Tehran Times was quoted as saying that, “one of the (Israeli) regime's oldest and most decorated units, the 13th Golani Brigades, was pulled out from the fighting, mainly in northern Gaza, after more than 72 of its troops were killed in combat.” It went on to say, “the resistance fighters have been able to completely or partially destroy 71 military vehicles.” More disinformation followed, “the al-Qassam Brigades announced that its resistance fighters were able, in the space of 48 hours, to target 26 Israeli military vehicles. The number of Israeli military vehicles that the Palestinian resistance has partially or completely destroyed has reached around 1,000.” The Tehran Times was the only news outlet to carry these figures. The 5th February 2024 Tasnim News Agency stated, “Dozens of Israeli military vehicles were destroyed by Al-Qassam Brigades in the past few days, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said. Al-Qassam Brigades made the announcement through a statement by its spokesman, Abu Obaida. The Brigades said its fighters have destroyed as many as 43 Israeli military vehicles, including tanks, partially or completely over the course of the last few days.” According to Abu Obaida (the spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist Palestinian political and military organization Hamas) the Palestinian fighters also killed dozens of Israeli forces during 17 military operations across the besieged territory, Press TV reported. The regime's fatalities included 15 troops, who were killed at point-blank range, and an officer and a soldier, who were taken out by Palestinians' sniper fire. A number of Israeli forces were also killed in an explosion targeting the entrance of a tunnel. As part of their achievements, the brigades managed to seize four Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles and fire a volley of rockets at the city of Tel Aviv. The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a Fars News Agency article on the 13th February 2024 quoted that Israel has achieved nothing from more than four months of aggression against the Gaza Strip but murder and destruction, therefor the regime (Israel) was ‘forced’ to hold political talks with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. In a meeting with officials from different Palestinian groups in Syria’s Damascus on 11th February 2024, Amir Abdollahian stated that Israel totally crumbled after Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, and “if it were not for the US all-out support for the Zionist regime, the collapse would have been completely visible.” The top diplomat added many believe that Tel Aviv and Washington “have gained none of their declared goals since the beginning of the war on Gaza and that they are now forced to hold political talks with Hamas, whom they called for its demise”. Only those news outlets run by the government of Tehran reported these reports.
Conclusion
The Islamic Republic of Iran paints a picture of victory over Israel and the United States with the reporting of false news and propaganda. Although there is world pressure to bring about an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip it is not from Hamas or Iran who are on the losing side of the war with Israel. Iran has used South Africa and propaganda in order to attempt to save face for one of its proxy/resistance armies that is being beaten not just on the battle front but in the eyes of the world. Iranian credibility is at stake here. But let’s be quite clear. Hamas may have pulled the trigger against Israel but it was the Islamic Republic of Iran who supplied the bullets. Not only has Hamas lost ground in the Gaza Strip they have currently lost over at least two thirds of their fighting force with countless others captured and some the leaders of the group being targeted. Those of Hamas that are left are in a small piece of real estate in Rafah were the final major battle against the group will take place. In the arena that Hamas had declared its battleground declines, the desperation and its survival instinct will begin to show meaning their actions will become frantic. Time for Hamas and others involved in the conflict is running out for a ceasefire or truce. All that Hamas has left is the Israeli hostages. Here is the carrot and stick for Hamas; Kill the hostages and they will all be eliminated, allow them to be released and surrender, then they may have a chance of survival. Israel has seen what was behind them they now see what is in front of them. Currently the war continues.
 
Paul Ashley

“We, as South Africans, will not be passive bystanders and watch the crimes that were visited upon us being perpetrated elsewhere.”
(South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa in an address to the nation reported on the 26th January 2024)
South Africa Vs the State of Israel and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Introduction
On the 29th December 2023 South Africa filed a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for what it said were “genocidal” acts by Israel in the Gaza Strip. In the United Nations press release (No. 2023/77) the ICJ informed press release stated: According to the Application, “acts and omissions by Israel . . . are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent . . . to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group” and that “the conduct of Israel — through its State organs, State agents, and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or under its direction, control or influence — in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention”.

The Applicant further states that “Israel, since 7th October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide” and that “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.

On the 7th October 2023 the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched its military operation known as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” The result was a brutal attack on the State of Israel. The state of Israel declared war on Hamas. During the attack 1,139 Israeli’s and foreign nationals were murdered which included 766 civilians and 373 members of the Israeli Security Forces. Hamas along with other terrorist groups forcibly took 253 Israeli and foreign captives.

Hamas said its attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, as well as the alleged "Judaization" of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plight of Palestinian refugees and prisoners.

The main supporter for Hamas is the Islamic Republic of Iran who claim they had no involvement with the ruthless and vicious attack on Israel. However, what cannot be ignored is the comment by Major General Hossein Salami, chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). In the Tehran Times[1] on the 10th May 2023 stated, “Big events are just around the corner. Justice will return to the region, and hopes have been renewed.”

The government of Tehran claim that they are not involved but support the Palestinian cause. It appears that attacks on Israel from Hamas’s military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, The Palestine Islamic Jihad and others along with Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthi movement Ansarullah and Iranian backed Iraq’s Kata'ib Hizballah (KH) has no leader and is non hierarchal.
All are known to be used by Iran as they pursue their revolutionary ideology of removing the State of Israel, permanently, by any means possible.

South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran Relationship

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s attempt at breaking its isolationism due to sanctions imposed on the country mainly by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union and with others has in the past turned to Africa. Iran attempts to bring other countries under its financial wing by playing on the history of the country and their colonial past. Iran uses its own history under the Shah of Iran prior to him being overthrown in the 1979 Iranian revolution as one such case. South Africa and Iran both have common backgrounds with Iran being sanctioned and South Africa suffering in the past under anti-apartheid sanctions. By using their comparisons and the promise of ‘bilateral trading’ Iran not just seeks to influence others but also gain a foothold in order to use them to Iran’s advantage.

South Africa is one country that Iran sees as being useful to its future possible use, should a case arise. By playing on South Africa’s past under the apartheid era, Iran can use this as an influence to persuade the government of South Africa to become a friend of Iran. South Africa realising how Iran could possibly help the Cape Town government with cheap oil for example believes that Iran is a useful ally. Iran was one of the first countries to resume trade with South Africa after end of apartheid. The two have been strong since.

South Africa not openly supports Iran on decisive issues with the United Nations but also commits to ensuring deep diplomatic ties and the two engage in joint business-tech forums, scientific cooperation and tourism. There is also a strong interaction with the Tehran government and the South African military navies.

In December 2019 Iran and South Africa had signed basic military cooperation agreements, and Iran’s deputy minister of defence met with South Africa’s chief of defence force staff in Tehran in May to discuss “the development of defence cooperation (that would achieve) long term and strategic engagement.” While deepening defence ties with South Africa is important to projecting Iranian military might, Iran’s navy frequently faces maintenance issues and its deployed forces are largely symbolic.

Nelson Mandela a former political prisoner and member of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) the military wing of the African National Congress, became president of South Africa in May 1994.The Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the first countries to lift sanctions against South Africa after the country attained a black majority rule in 1995. A Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) between the two countries was formed after that.

The South Africa-Iran JCC is a structured bilateral mechanism established in 1995 to enhance cooperation between the two countries in various areas. The JCC is the longest running and one of the most active structured bilateral mechanisms South Africa has with any country in the Middle East region. The JCC meets regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest and to explore ways of deepening cooperation between the two countries. The 15th session of the JCC was held in Pretoria, South Africa on the 10th August 2023.

11th/12th January 2024 Hague case at the ICJ

The ICJ case brought about by South Africa has given the Israeli’s an opportunity to stand up for itself on a world platform requested by others who oppose their right to self-defence.

South Africa and Israel presented their cases to the ICJ verbally over the two days of the 11th and 12th January 2024. South Africa with its Iranian backers sought to stop the war in Gaza by using an international body to state that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinians.

Israel has claimed on numerous occasions that their conflict is with Hamas not the Palestinians and that it is Hamas, the elected Palestinian authority in the Gaza Strip not the Israelis that are using their own people as human shields and placing thousands of innocent Palestinians in harm’s way.

South Africa wanted an order by the ICJ to halt the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip basing their accusation on a case of genocide.

The countries that have in the past and continue to do so now who accused Israel of genocide are doing so incorrectly as has been proven on the 26th January 2024 in the Hague court’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict. The Islamic Republic of Iran who endorsed the South African bid to stop the war between Israel and Hamas on the grounds that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people have been proven wrong and incorrect.

South Africa’s Claim

South Africa claimed on the 11th January 2024 at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) court in the Hague that Israel had, “demonstrated a pattern of genocidal conduct since launching its war on the Gaza Strip.” The court heard, “This killing is nothing short of destruction of Palestinian life. It is inflicted deliberately, no-one is spared, not even newborn babies.”
Israel’s actions had subjected the 2.3 million people of Gaza to an unprecedented level of attacks from the air, land and sea, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and the destruction of homes and essential public infrastructure, insisted Adila Hassim.

Israel had also prevented sufficient humanitarian aid from reaching those in need and created the risk of death by starvation and disease because of the impossibility of providing assistance “while bombs fall”, the South Africa lawyer alleged.

“Palestinians in Gaza are subject to relentless bombing wherever they go,” Ms. Hassim told the court, adding that so many people had been killed that they were often buried unidentified in mass graves. An additional 60,000 Palestinians had been wounded and maimed, she noted.

“They are killed in their homes, in places where they seek shelter, in hospitals, in schools, in mosques, in churches, and as they tried to find food and water for their families. They have been killed if they have failed to evacuate the places to which they have fled and even if they attempted to flee along Israeli-declared safe routes.”

The State of Israel Response

A column in the Jerusalem Post wrote that “South Africa goes to war against Israel at the ICJ.” Describing South Africa as, “Overcast by a world-leading homicide rate of 41 murders annually per 100,000 people, your country is a nexus of human trafficking, drug dealing, arms trade, embezzlement, rape, robbery, carjacking, burglary, mugging, pickpocketing, and every other form of crime whether petty, organized, financial, or political. Corrupt to the bone, your land is a social tragedy and a moral hell.” A country who claims to be in solidarity with the Palestinians and yet has a serious record of crimes in their own country.

John Kirby, US National Security Council spokesman said, “claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza are “meritless,” and the lawsuit brought on by South Africa is “counterproductive.”

Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defence and Democracies (FDD) said, “It is a dismal day when Israel, haven for the survivors of the Holocaust, is brought up before the court created in the hope of preventing another Holocaust. One trusts the Israeli defence will ably turn the tables on this farce and remind the world that Hamas, on October 7, proved that it is the actual genocidal party in this conflict.”

The British government said it had “considerable concerns” about a ruling by the United Nation’s top court that Israel should do everything it can to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza. A Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement. “Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with international humanitarian law (IHL),” the spokesperson added. “Our view is that Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be described as genocide, which is why we thought South Africa’s decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.”

The Intercept, an online American nonprofit news organization that publishes articles wrote, “Israel’s representative Tal Becker opened his government’s rebuttal by telling the judges at the ICJ that South Africa’s case “profoundly distorted the factual and legal picture,” claiming it sought to erase Jewish history. He charged that the legal arguments made by South Africa’s team were “barely distinguishable” from Hamas’s rhetoric and accused them of “weaponizing” the term “genocide.”

Becker called October 7 “the largest calculated mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust” and pleaded with the court to factor in the “brutality and lawlessness” of the enemy Israel says it is fighting in Gaza. Israel, he said, has a lawful right to use all available means to respond “to the slaughter of October 7 which Hamas has vowed to repeat.”

The Intercept went on to report, Becker also alleged that South Africa’s lawyers had failed to mention how many of the buildings blown up and destroyed in Gaza over the past three months of sustained Israeli bombing were actually “boobytrapped” by Hamas rather than destroyed by Israel. It was a risible claim given not only the scale of the Israeli bombardment of entire neighbourhoods, but also because Israeli soldiers have posted of themselves gleefully hitting the detonate button to obliterate whole neighbourhoods. He dismissed civilian death and injury figures provided by Gaza health authorities, saying that South Africa’s lawyers had failed to mention how many of the dead Palestinians were actually Hamas operatives. It was a striking point given that Israeli officials have openly and repeatedly said that there are no innocents in Gaza, and that United Nations workers and journalists killed by Israel are actually secret Hamas agents.

Becker also claimed that Israel was complying with international law in all of its operations in Gaza. “Israel does not seek to destroy a people, but to protect a people — its [own] people,” he said, adding that Israel is engaged in a “war of defence against Hamas, not the Palestinian people.” There could “hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the charge of genocide.” He accused South Africa of abusing the world court and turning it into an “aggressor’s charter.”

The ICJ Ruling

On the 26th January 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its ruling. It stated that although there was plausibility that Israel ‘may’ be committing genocide this could not be defined at that time. The court stated that the State of Israel had a right to self-defence but should take steps to reduce the number of Palestinian casualties. The findings also said that there was no immediate measure to state that the case of genocide against the State of Israel was in fact being carried out.
Israel had a set of measures that had to implemented immediately and effectively by the ICJ to prevent civilian casualties and these actions were to be reported back to the court within a month.

The Court deem it necessary to emphasize that all parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip are bound by international humanitarian law. It is gravely concerned about the fate of the hostages abducted during the attack on Israel on the 7th October 2023 and held since then by Hamas and other armed groups, the court called for their immediate and unconditional release.

“Support” from the Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran who has praised the “brave action” of South Africa, who claimed  a “decisive victory” for the international rule of law. Iran has been pushing for the caseation of hostilities since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas after Hamas murdered hundreds of innocent Israelis since the unprovoked attack by Hamas on Israel on the 7th October 2023.

The court did not say that the State of Israel had to stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip. There was no verdict given stating that Israel had to cease its war with Hamas. Its verdict said that they had to take precautions against the killing of civilians. Something that Hamas does not do.

It is thought that the Israeli’s have killed over 9, 000 Hamas operatives since Israel declared war against Hamas. Iran would dearly like to save what is left of its proxy organisation in order to fight another day. However, Israel has declared that it is going to destroy any capability that Hamas has should they attack them again, which the terrorist group has promised to do in the future.

According to the Iranian propaganda outlet Fars News Agency[2] on the 27th January 2024 it wrote, “Iranian officials say the United States is waging a war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through Israel, and stress if Washington’s political and military aid to Zionists is cut off, the regime won’t be able to proceed its military campaign against the blockaded territory.” Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, “underscored that the Israeli officials are “the most hated people” in the world's public opinion.”

Fars News Agency reported, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian welcomed the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling ordering Israel to prevent the genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, calling on his counterparts worldwide to back South Africa's move at the United Nations' top court. Amir Abdollahian extended his congratulations to the South African government and nation, particularly his counterpart Naledi Pandor, as well as the Palestinian people over Pretoria's success at the ICJ. The top diplomat once again reiterated Iran's support for South Africa's ‘initiative’, and urged his counterparts across the world to also throw their weight behind the African country's move at the top court.

The court ruling made no indication that Hamas should also take steps to ensure that they do not harm their own people. There was no mention by the Iranian Islamic State regarding the court ruling ordering the Palestinian militant group Hamas to return the remaining 140 hostages who were captured during the 7th October 2023 attack, in which 1,200 people were killed.
​
Is South Africa now a proxy group (resistance group) of the Tehran government? Iran uses other proxy groups to conduct conflict without getting its hands soiled. Does this mean that by encouraging South Africa to file a case against Israel that it did so knowing that it would not win but saved face by having another nation do it for them?

Russia Federation Vs the Ukraine Genocide Case

Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) is a case brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was submitted by Ukraine on 26th February 2022 against Russia following the latter's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Russia sought to justify in part by claims that Ukraine was engaged in acts of genocide within the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

Initial hearings in the case took place on 7th March 2022 at Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The Russian delegation did not appear for these proceedings, but submitted a written statement.

On the 16th March 2022 the court ruled 13–2 that Russia must "immediately suspend the military operations" it commenced on 24 February 2022 in Ukraine, with Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian of Russia and Judge Xue Hanqin of China dissenting.
By ordering Russia to cease hostilities against the Ukraine it says that there is a case to answer in regards to genocide unlike the South African case against the State of Israel. The final decision by the court has yet to be announced.
The fighting in the Ukraine between the two countries continues with Russia making no heed to the ICJ court.

War in the Republic of the Sudan

Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan has been at war with itself since the 15th April 2023 during Ramadan. As of 21st January 2024, at least 13,000–15,000 people had been killed and 33,000 others were injured. As of 29 December 2023, over 5.8 million were internally displaced and more than 1.5 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the 2023 Masalit genocidal massacres.

The war is between two Sudanese factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Hemedti, rival factions of the military government of Sudan.

The raping of females by both sides has become a daily occurrence and the intimidation and attacks on journalists have become frequent. War crimes are being perpetrated in the Sudan by both sides against hospitals and caused using aerial bombings and artillery. Massacres and ethnic cleansing are being committed. Torture, killing of individuals and assassinations of intellectuals, politicians, professionals and nobility have been reported.

The Arab News reported on the conflict on the 20th January and wrote that ethnic killings in one Sudan’s Darfur city left up to 15,000 dead in 2023. The Sudan Tribune claimed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been accused of supplying weapons and ammunition to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the north an accusation that the UAE rejects, while Iran has been supplying Sudan’s army with combat drones.

Rather than taking the State of Israel in the Middle East to the International Court of Justice on lose claims of genocide, why is South Africa not concentrating stoping the international reported genocide in the Republic of the Sudan? The conflict is in its own continent and has been ongoing far longer than the Israel and Hamas conflict.

The State of Israel Vs the Islamic State of Iran

Iran states it fully supports South Africa’s filing lawsuit against Israel. Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi has expressed his admiration for the nation's firm stance against racism and genocide. During a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Raisi highlighted that this praiseworthy action is not only recognized and respected in the Islamic world but also applauded by freedom-loving nations worldwide. Raisi went on to say he, “hailed the African government’s initiative and courageous move.”

It is important at this point to remember that the ideology of Iran, Hamas, Palestinian Jihad, and Hezbollah is to remove Israel not in part but completely from ‘Palestinian’ land. It is also important to remember that the Iranian president has said that he, “expressed his admiration for the nation's firm stance against racism and genocide.” In another statement regarding the verdict the Iranian president said, “this measure, taken by a country that has experienced the bitterness of racism and genocide for years, has been hailed and applauded not only by the Islamic world, but the whole free and freedom-seeking nations.”

With so much respect for South Africa and its filing of the case of genocide against Israel. Will they feel the same when the State of Israel files a genocide case against the Islamic State of Iran?

On the 28th January 2024 Israeli cabinet minister Gideon Sa’ar who has held posts in the Israel government such as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice declared that he would be starting work against Iran on genocide charges. The minister said that Israel would be looking to, “file a case against Iran in the International Court of Justice on genocide charges, pointing out that Iranian leaders have called for Israel’s destruction and that Iran gives strong backing to Hamas and other Gaza terror groups that carried out the October 7 atrocities.”

Will the Islamic Republic of Iran still have the respect for international law and justice when this case is heard?

Conclusion

There are two distinctive cases here which clearly shows the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling. In the conflict between the Russian Federation and the Ukraine the court could see there was a case to answer and ordered Russia to ‘immediately’ stop fighting. In the case of South Africa Vs, the State of Israel there was no clear evidence and no such stipulation to cease fighting was ordered. The case of genocide against the State of Israel had no standing from the word go and although the ICJ believes there is a ‘plausible’ case of genocide the case was not strong enough to warrant an order to stop the conflict unlike the case against the Russian Federation. It is extremely doubtful the terrorist group Hamas and others taking part in the conflict will adhere to international law nor will they release the hostages. South Africa has now shown its true colours by nailing them to the mast in Tehran. It has shown that South Africa can be manipulated by its puppet master, Iran. South Africa is now meddling in Middle Eastern issues rather than looking after affairs on their own continent. The hand of Iran is once again stirring the pot. The unseen hand of Iran has been seen in the Russia/Ukraine conflict with the selling, manufacturing and advising on drones and in the war in Sudan. If the State of Israel is preparing a case for genocide against Iran and its proxies then their defence starts before the slaughter of innocents on the 7th October 2023. Its starts in 1979 when Ruhollah Khomeini created the state which is now known today as the Islamic Republic of Iran.
 
Paul Ashley
 
  ANNEX A
26 Jan 24         APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE IN THE GAZA STRIP (SOUTH AFRICA v. ISRAEL)
12 Jan 24         The Intercept: AT THE HAGUE, ISRAEL MOUNTED A DEFENSE BASED IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY
26 Jan 24         Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)
 
[1]        The Tehran Times is a daily newspaper published in Iran, founded in 1979 as the self-styled "voice of the Islamic Revolution". While not state-owned, it is considered state-controlled and closely tied to the hardline factions within the Iranian government.
[2]        A news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an armed wing loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Introduction

The last conflict involving the Islamic Republic of Iran was the war against Iraq from 1980 – 1988 in which neither side came out as a clear victor. After eight years of war a ceasefire was declared between the two countries with no direct winner. The Iranians finally accepted United Nations Resolution 598 on the 20th July 1988 and a cease-fire came into force on the 20th August 20 1988.

Since the end of the conflict, both Iran and Iraq have officially recognized the ceasefire, and there has not been a resumption of hostilities. Diplomatic relations have been re-established, and the two countries maintain economic and political ties. So much so that Iran is embedded within Iraqi politics and its military capabilities.

However, throughout the Middle East there have been many skirmishes to which you can find the hand of Iran mixing disorder and chaos somewhere in the background. By using their proxies, or the Iranian resistance axis, Iran prefers to keep its hands out of the jumble of uncertainty. They use terms such as ‘baseless’ or those accusing them of wrongdoing as being ‘Iranophobic’ or ‘politically-motivated’. Language given in order to dissuade the accuser of actually saying anything negative about the theocratic Tehran government.

Since the current Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi came to office on the 3rd August 2021 he has been stating how he wants to promote ‘friendliness’ and ‘neighbourliness’ in the area of the Middle East and West Asia. He sees this as a way of amalgamating Muslim nations in common causes, such as security in those areas mentioned. There is a long-term goal here but one that at the moment is not very clear. Although one reason is to levitate itself from the isolation that it has found itself in due to its own makings.

But it must be made clear that the ideology of the revolution lives every day and to that end Iran will not change no matter how neighbourly they come across.

Bullying and Intimidation Tactics

2022

There are times when the Islamic Republic of Iran likes to show the world how powerful they are by flexing its mass and using that weight to fire missiles or rockets at those ‘they believe’ are threatening them and to show that they are not easily threatened.

In March 2022 Iran launched missiles into the autonomous region of Kurdistan in the north of Iraq. The Iranian account was that they were targeting ‘terrorist’ groups that were based there after constant warnings from Iran regarding terrorist hiding near the border between Iraq/Kurdistan and Iran. The other story that was pushed out was that the targets were possibly a new United States consulate being built in Erbil. One civilian was injured in the attack.

Erbil is the capital city of Kurdistan and is nowhere near the border with Iran with the two nearest Iranian border towns of Piranshahr, Iran being116 Km direct and Sardasht, Iran being 170Km from Erbil.

Iran claimed on the 13th March 2022 that they had targeted with ballistic missiles a United States base and Mossad Training Centres.

Iraq demanded a “frank and clear explanation” for the attack from Iran. The Iraqi’s “summoned Iran's ambassador to Iraq to protest the Iranian missile bombardment of Erbil and the material losses it caused, and damage to civilian facilities and housing for citizens, in addition to spreading fear among the residents of those areas.”
Iran claimed that it had warned Iraq many times in the past that Iraqi territory ‘should not be used to conduct attacks on Iran.’ They also claimed on the 14th March 2022 that Iran was “calling it retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier last week.”

Iranian propaganda continued by claiming that their strike, “appears to have taken a heavy toll on Zionists.” (the term given to Israel by the government of Tehran). Tasnim News (a semi-official news agency in Iran associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) went onto say, “the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has fired ten homegrown missiles with pinpoint accuracy in the attack on a strategic centre of Zionists in Erbil.”

The news outlet went on to say, “the IRGC has used Fateh-class missiles in the operation.” A further comment said, “The centre hit by the missiles was a place where a remarkable number of Zionists gathered, and considering the number of people present in that base, the likelihood of the (Zionist) regime’s human toll is very high.”

How a retaliatory strike on civilians and civilian buildings in Kurdistan had anything to do with the alleged killing of two IRGC guards is difficult to determine.

2024

On the 3rd January 2024 a terrorist attack occurred in Kerman, known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is a city in the Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Iran, and serves as the capital of the province, county and district.

General Soleimani the former head of the IRGC-QF is buried in his hometown of Kerman. Soleimani was killed at Baghdad International airport by an American drone on the 3rd January 2020. He was believed to be behind a large number of attacks against the United States and Israel. There are thoughts that he was the orchestrator of the 2024 conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The terrorist attack, labelled by Iranian state media outlets, happened on the anniversary of Soleimani’s death. Two explosive devices detonated in two different locations resulting in many deaths and injuries. Iran blamed Israel and the United States for the attack. Iran said, “Washington says USA and Israel had no role in terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first,” the Iranian president’s political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi wrote. ‘Both Israel and the United States rejected the accusations.’

On the 4th January 2024 the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the twin detonations in Kerman. In a statement posted on its affiliate Telegram channels, the terrorist group said two Daesh members had detonated their explosive belts in the crowd which had gathered at the cemetery in the city of Kerman on Wednesday for the anniversary of Soleimani's martyrdom. It was believed later that those responsible had had training in an Islamic State camp inside of Afghanistan.
Undeterred by this announcement Iran said they were taking prompt ‘legal measure’ through the United Nations following the attack. Hossein Amir Abdollahian Iran’s foreign minister wrote, "Based on initial information obtained from official sources, the Foreign Ministry has begun [taking] its prompt legal and international measures through the United Nations." There was no announcement as to who they were taking legal action against.

The following day Iran announced that they had arrested a number of suspects who had been involved in the attack. Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi told state TV (a government-controlled media outlet) “Our country’s capable intelligence agencies have found very good clues regarding elements involved in the terrorist explosions in Kerman and a section of those who had a role in this incident have been arrested,” he said without elaborating. Eventually eleven people were arrested for the incident.

The Tehran Times stated that Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi said, “journalists and media outlets point out the growing amount of evidence pointing towards Israeli involvement in a terrorist attack that killed at least 84 civilians in the southeastern city of Kerman.”

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf the Iranian parliament speaker said he had linked the Kerman terrorist attack to the operations of Takfiri groups (explanations on various groups can be found at the end of this paper) in the region, the Zionist regime in Gaza, and the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. He added that the perpetrators of this heinous act have no regard for the lives of women, children, and civilians when it comes to fulfilling their nefarious agendas.

He characterized the killing of innocent civilians as a "common thread" that runs through the operations of Takfiri groups, the Zionist regime in Gaza, and the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries.

Iran's Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs, Mohammad Hosseini, has strongly asserted that a mere statement from the United States is insufficient to deny its involvement in the terrorist incident that occurred in Kerman. The vice president highlighted that despite statements from the U.S. Department of State disclaiming any role in the Kerman explosions, all indications point to their support for the terrorist group, as seen in the narratives of Daesh terrorist group who claimed responsibility for the incident. (The Tehran government of Iran considers the origins of the Islamic State lay firmly with the United States)

The Islamic State Vs Israel

The Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL or Da’esh) has consistently expressed extreme hostility towards Israel. Its views are rooted in a radical interpretation of Sunni Islam and an extremist interpretation of jihad. ISIS perceives Israel as an illegitimate state occupying what it considers to be Muslim land, particularly in reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

ISIS has called for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate that encompasses the entire Muslim world, including the territory currently occupied by Israel. The group sees itself as a vanguard in the fight against what it views as the enemies of Islam, including Israel and other entities it considers to be in opposition to its interpretation of Islamic law.

The Islamic State has not carried out an orchestrated attack on Israel, though independent cells inspired by the terror group’s ideology have been arrested by Israeli security forces, several dozen Israeli Arabs are said to have been recruited by IS, and terrorists including Nashat Milhem (who murdered three Israelis in Tel Aviv, reported on the 31st October 2023) have identified with IS. According to a Times of Israel article, the Islamic State terror group published an article explaining why it does not attack Israel, arguing that the Palestinian issue should not get preferential treatment. The article argued that the Palestinian cause does not take precedence over any other jihadi struggle. The Islamic State argued that the apostate tyrants who rule the lands of Islam are graver infidels than the Jews, and war against them takes precedence over war against the original infidels.

Its difficult to see how Iran verifies the Israel and Da’esh amalgamation and be able to conduct a joint operation against Iran.

The Islamic State Vs the Islamic Republic of Iran

ISIS views Iran through the lens of its sectarian ideology, which is rooted in an extremist interpretation of Sunni Islam. The majority of Muslims worldwide are Sunni, but Iran is predominantly Shia. ISIS considers Shia Muslims, including the Iranian government, as apostates and has often targeted Shia communities in its attacks.

ISIS sees Iran as a rival and an adversary, not only due to sectarian differences but also because Iran has been involved in various regional conflicts where Da’esh operates. The group has condemned Iran's influence in Iraq and Syria, viewing it as interference in Sunni-majority areas.

The Islamic State has been an opponent of Iran and has carried out several attacks in the country. In 2022, the group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Shia shrine in Iran that killed 15 people. The Islamic State argued that the apostate tyrants who rule the lands of Islam are graver infidels than the Jews.

15th January 2024 Kurdistan

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the “spy headquarters” of Israel in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported. “In response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime, causing the killing of commanders of the Guards and the Axis of Resistance ... one of the main Mossad espionage headquarters in Iraq’s Kurdistan region was destroyed with ballistic missiles,” the Guards said in a statement. At least four civilians were killed and six injured in the strikes on Irbil, the Kurdistan government’s security council said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries but at the same time was using its “legitimate and legal right to deter national security threats.” “After the enemy miscalculated by targeting the Islamic Republic, Iran retaliated with its high intelligence capability in a precise and targeted operation against the culprits’ headquarters.”

That same day Iran launched missiles toward Iraq and Syria to defend its sovereignty. Iran’s Tasnim News announced that Iran Launched Retaliatory Missile Strikes on Mossad, Daesh Targets. The missile strike on the Mossad espionage base in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq had been carried out in response to the Israeli assassination of a number of commanders of the IRGC and the resistance front, a statement said.

General Seyed Razi Mousavi, a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps serving as a military adviser in Syria, was martyred in an Israeli airstrike in the residential neighbourhood of Zeinabiyah district in the suburbs of Damascus on the 25th December 2023. The statement also made reference to the twin attacks in Kerman.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nasser Kanaani described the IRGC’s missile strikes on a Mossad centre in Iraq’s Erbil and the bases of terrorists in Syria’s Idlib as Iran’s defence of its sovereignty and partial punishment for harming the country’s security. Syria is a long way from Iran.

Kanaani went on, “The measure carried out (by the IRGC) was in line with the mighty defence of the country’s sovereignty and security and the fight against terrorism and was part of the Islamic Republic’s fair punishment for the violators of the country’s security,” he said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran always supports regional peace, stability and security and is committed to the observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Meanwhile, it will not hesitate about exercising its legitimate and legal right to resort to deterrent action against the sources of threat to its national security and safeguard the security of its citizens and punish the criminals,” Kanaani added. He noted that while the enemies committed crimes against Iran with their miscalculations, Iran has identified the bases of criminals in a detailed and targeted operation with its great intelligence capabilities and has hit those targets with precision-strike missiles. “This was part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s response to those acting against Iran’s national security and the safety of Iranian citizens,” the spokesman stated.

Four people were killed in the attack on Erbil. Peshraw Dizayee, a well-known Kurdish businessman and the owner of Falcon Group which runs major projects such as Empire World, succumbed to his injuries. Dizayee, his youngest daughter, Saridar, and a housekeeper were killed.

Karam Mikhail Saridar, an Iraqi businessman was also killed in the Iranian attack on Erbil and it was strongly rejected claims that he was involved in business with Israel.

The IRGC claimed that "three Mossad bases" were targeted in Erbil. One rocket had fallen on the house of a senior Kurdish intelligence official and another on a Kurdish intelligence centre.

Iran’s foreign minister on 17th January 2024 doubled down on claims that the deadly Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) strikes on Erbil targeted bases of the Israeli intelligence despite Iraqi and Kurdish authorities’ categorical denial of such claims.

His Iraqi counterpart strongly denied the accusations and condemned Tehran’s “aggression”. Iran even produced unverified pictures of Dizayee with Mossad, and a member of the Kurdistan Freedom Party along with Israeli military personnel in an effort to substantiate their claim that he was a member of the Israeli spy team. Iraq recalled Ambassador Nassir Abdel Mohsen from Tehran.

On the 18th January 2024 Iraq filed a complaint against Iran at the UN Security Council over Iranian ‘aggression’. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Tehran had shared intelligence with Iraq about what it said were activities of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Iran has said its Revolutionary Guards attacked Israel's "spy HQ" in Iraq in the city of Erbil. Iraq denied that there was any such spy centre in the country. What happened in Erbil “had to do with the elements and agenda of the Mossad of the Israeli regime,” Amirabdollahian said.
Another casualty of the Erbil attack was a Dutch infant, a baby of less than one year old who was killed in the “Mossad spy” attack by Iran. Dizayee’s daughter Zhina, who held Dutch nationality was days away from her first birthday. Two of the Tehran government-controlled news outlets denied any evidence of the Dutch infant.

Tasnim news wrote that there is no evidence for the claim that a Dutch child has died in a missile strike that Iran launched against the base of Mossad in Iraq’s Erbil on Tuesday (16th January 2024), Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said. The Iranian foreign minister stated, “We do not have any evidence proving that a child was killed in the Mossad terrorist headquarters in northern Iraq, but we draw the attention of the Dutch government to the genocide and massacre of thousands of Palestinian women and children in Gaza.”

Fars News Agency (The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an armed wing loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei) reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian dismissed Amsterdam’s claim over the death of a Dutch baby in an attack by Tehran on Erbil in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. In a phone call with his Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot on the 19th January 2024, Amir Abdollahian said a missile strike by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Erbil was conducted on the grounds of legitimate defence and in line with international law. Abdollahian finished the conversation with his Dutch counterpart by saying, “he also urged Amsterdam to take appropriate and effective measures to fight terrorism.”

Iran Attacks Pakistan

Tasnim News on the 16th January 2024 announced that the Islamic Republic had launched ‘precision missiles and drone attacks at locations over the border in Pakistan. They claimed that their targets were members of a terrorist group Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jeysh al-Adl). According to reports obtained by the Tasnim news agency, these bases were specifically targeted and successfully demolished by a combination of missile and drone attacks. In mid-December, the notorious Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm) terrorist group had stormed a police station in Sistan and Balouchestan province’s city of Rask, southeast of Iran, which resulted in the death of 11 Iranian Police officers.

After the attack the Republic of Pakistan authorities stated that the Iranian attack had killed two children and injured three girls. They also strongly condemned the attack describing it as an “unprovoked violation” of Pakistan’s airspace.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” it warned, adding that “the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.” Pakistan recalled its envoy from Tehran in response.

Tasnim News claimed in a statement from Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that “the retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Pakistani soil on Tuesday night have not harmed any Pakistani nationals, but have targeted the elements of an Iranian terrorist group, known as Jaish al-Adl.”

Amirabdollahian described the strike as a retaliatory response to the operation that Jaish al-Adl terrorists carried out against a Police headquarters in Iran’s Rask that killed 11 members of the Iranian security forces on the 15th December 2023. He added and underlined that no Pakistani citizen has been targeted in the raid against the terrorists. The attack was aimed at the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, an Iranian group that has taken shelter in Pakistan.

The foreign minister reaffirmed Iran’s respect for the sovereignty of Pakistan, but made it clear that the Islamic Republic won’t allow anyone to play with its security.

18th January 2024

The Arab News reported on the 18th January 2024 that Pakistan had retaliated against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attack on its sovereign territory by targeting separatist Baloch militants. Tehran demanded an explanation.

“A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, describing it as a “series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts.”

Using the government of Tehran’s own words Pakistan authorities said, “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the ministry added in its statement. “The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

A Pakistani intelligence source said the strikes were carried out by military aircraft. “Our forces have conducted strikes to target Baloch militants inside Iran,” said the official in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. “The targeted militants belong to the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF),” he added, referring to the Baloch Liberation Front, which seeks independence for Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, condemned the attack carried out by the Pakistani military on a location in a border region in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan. The spokesperson emphasized that to officially convey the protest and request an explanation from the Pakistani government, the diplomatic representative of this country in Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fars News (The Fars News Agency is a propaganda news agency in Iran and managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)” at least nine non-Iranians, including four children, three women and two men, have been killed in the missile attacks by Pakistan.” Fars was the only network to carry news of the deaths.

The Islamic Republic of Iran backs down.

Iran said on the 18th January 2024 that, “it will not allow “enemies” (a term often employed to reference the United States and Israel) to harm its relations with Pakistan, following the exchange of deadly strikes between the two neighbours on each other’s territories.” The statement defended Iran’s strikes in Pakistan as a “preventive” operation, saying Iranian forces had detected a “terrorist” group preparing to launch an attack on Iran from Pakistan. The Iranian statement appeared to signal a willingness on Tehran’s part to move on from this rare episode of heightened tension with Pakistan.

Relations between Iran and Pakistan have been historically complex. Both countries have cooperated economically and formed alliances in a number of areas of mutual interest, such as fighting the drug trade along their border and combating the insurgency in the Balochistan region. However, the neighbours have also had tensions over the years, with both sides blaming the other for using their minorities as proxies for their own benefits.

The Iranian ministry stated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, while being committed to the policy of good neighbourliness and brotherhood between the two nations and two governments of Iran and Pakistan, does not allow foes to strain good and brotherly relations between the two countries.”

Whilst the attacks on defenceless Kurds is one thing, the attack on a nuclear-armed country is another matter. The retaliation of the Pakistan authorities was fast and the government of Tehran probably did not think that it would happen. Their belief was that they would complain and summon ambassadors to voice their distaste and that nothing else would happen. Iran gambled on yet again breaching another countries sovereignty and then move on.
The two neighbours have occasionally attempted to cooperate. But more frequently they have accused each other of sheltering militants who carry out deadly attacks on the other country.

Relations Between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Pakistan

Although sharing 900-kilometre border, relations between the two countries have always been along the lines of distrust.
Islamabad-based expert on security issues Syed Rifaat Hussain said “The Iranian calculus is rather complex. Perhaps Iran overplayed its hand. They thought Pakistan will absorb the strike and will show restraint, or at most, a verbal protest.”

Professor Joshua White of international affairs and a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in the United States said that Iran and Pakistan have ample reasons to de-escalate after the “unusual strikes.” He added, “the reality is that both the governments deploy rhetoric about brotherhood when it suits them but are often suspicious of the other’s motives. This is a low-trust relationship, but neither Islamabad nor Tehran have much to gain from seeing tensions escalate.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on the 22nd January 2024 that “the relations between Iran and Pakistan are sturdy,” adding, “the ties between the two countries are friendly and brotherly, as they respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Attempted Suicide

Reuters reported in March 2019 that there had been an attempt to assassinate a top Pakistani cleric in Karachi. Former sharia judge of the country's Supreme Court, Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, was heading to a mosque to lead Friday prayers. At least four attackers were riding on two motorcycles and carried out the attempted assassination. Usmani was uninjured but his guard died.

On the 21st January 2024 the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan's southwestern Sindh Province said that they had arrested Syed Mohammad Mehdi who they believed was involved in the Usmani attempted assassination. Mehdi was accused of being a member of the Zainebiyoun Brigade, a militant group allegedly backed by Iran. Khuram Waris, who heads the CTD in Karachi said that Mehdi is a Pakistani citizen who received training in a "neighbouring country." "He is a member of the Zainabiyoun Brigade. He was involved in many attacks, including the attack on Mufti Taqi Usmani in Karachi."

The Zainebiyoun Brigade is a Shia Khomeinist militant group that has been actively engaged in the Syrian civil war. It was formed and trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and operates under their command. The group draws recruits mainly from Shia Pakistanis living in Iran, with some also from Shia Muslim communities living in various regions of Pakistan. Yet again the hand of Tehran is seen in a neighbouring country.

Conclusion

Iran in the past has attacked countries with false accusations and who have been unable to retaliate. The Tehran government constantly makes reference to the deaths of women and children in the Israel conflict with Hamas while at the same time killing innocent females and children in attacks that Iran claims to be on alleged Israel targets. There is also the denial that another nationality was killed, a Dutch infant not even one year old, denying that there was no proof when clearly the Dutch government said that there was. That is appalling. Iran’s domestic murders are no different. In the recent demonstrations regarding the death of Mahsa Amini on the 16th September 2022 Iranian security forces shot and killed females and children. Those that they launch missiles and drones at do not stand a chance at retaliation. The Kurds for example, have no defences against Iranian military attacks and Iraq is riddled with politicians aligned to Iran. Even the Iraqi military is not exempt with elements loyal to Iran. However, on this occasion Iraq’s Prime Minister has complained to the United Nations and called the attacks on the Kurds “unacceptable” irrelevant of the reasons why. Whether the United Nations does anything about Iran or if Iran takes note, which is doubtful, it shows that those being bullied by Iran can fight back. Islamabad did with retaliatory strikes, using the same language and stating it was up to Iran if they wanted to escalate the scuffle. Iran backed down when faced with an opposition that could. Showing what bullies the Islamic Republic of Iran can be and there is a way of standing up to them. Iran will not stand up to the United States or directly confront Israel. They know if they do it will be their downfall. The revolutionary dream of their revolution will be left in tatters. But as long as countries do not stand up to them, they will continue to terrorise and intimidate. The only fight they can do is with their proxies.
Question: How many major conflicts has the Islamic Republic of Iran been involved in and won since it came into being after 1979?
Answer: None
 
Additional Information

Terrorist Groups
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Takfiri Groups
A Takfiri group is a term used to describe a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of being an apostate, or infidel. This practice is considered a major forbidden act in Islamic jurisprudence, and is potentially a cause of strife and violence within the Muslim community. The term is often used to describe extremist groups that follow a strict interpretation of Islam, and are known for their violent tactics.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has drawn parallels between the modus operandi of the Daesh terror group and the Israeli regime, saying both entities are looking to take the lives of innocent civilians as they are unable to face their opponents on the battlefield.

Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jeysh al-Adl)
Jaysh al-Dhulm, also known as Jeysh al-Adl, is an armed militant group operating in the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran and the border regions with Pakistan. The group has been involved in various activities, including attacks on Iranian security forces and incidents of kidnapping.
The group is composed mainly of ethnic Baloch militants and has been accused of having links to other militant organizations. The Iranian government considers the group to be a terrorist organization and has taken measures to counter its activities.
While it might not have a well-defined and publicly articulated ideology, its activities are primarily focused on what it perceives as the rights and interests of the Baloch people in the region.
The Baloch people, who primarily inhabit the Sistan and Baluchestan province in Iran, have at times expressed grievances related to perceived discrimination and marginalization. There have been reports and claims by activists that members of the Baloch community face economic, social, and political challenges, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction among some Baloch individuals.
Some of the concerns raised by Baloch activists and human rights organizations include issues such as limited access to education and employment opportunities, underdevelopment in the region, and a sense of political marginalization. Additionally, there have been accusations of human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of individuals by security forces.
Pakistan considers Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jeysh al-Adl) to be a terrorist group. The group has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.

The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF)
Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) is a militant organization that advocates for the rights and autonomy of the Baloch people, who primarily inhabit the border areas of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The specific ideology of the BLF, like many insurgent or separatist groups, tends to revolve around regional autonomy, cultural preservation, and addressing perceived injustices or marginalization of the Baloch people.
The BLF has been involved in armed resistance against Pakistani security forces and has expressed grievances related to what it perceives as the economic exploitation of Balochistan's resources by the Pakistani government.
While the BLF's official statements and publications may provide more detailed insights into their ideology, in general, Baloch nationalist groups often emphasize the following elements: Ethnic identity, political autonomy, economic rights and social justice.
The group’s ideology is based on Marxism-Leninism and Baloch nationalism. The group has been designated as a terrorist group by Pakistan.
 
 

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2358701/middle-east
There is a “for sale” sign up by the Tehran government for political hostages held illegally in Iran. Who is winning the political hostage battle? It could have started with Anousheh Ashouri Nazanin and Zaghari-Ratcliffe, dual British/Iranian nationals, both had been arrested, detained and jailed on false accusations. In Mar 22 the two UK political hostages were purchased back by the United Kingdom government for £400 million, a debt owed to the Shah of Iran before the theocrats took over. Saeed Khatibzadeh Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said there has been no link between Britain’s payback of its debt to the Islamic Republic and the freedom of two dual British-Iranian nationals. Then there is the prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium. Belgium passed a prisoner exchange law in order to bring home a wrongfully arrested and charged Olivier Vandecasteele. He had been arrested because of Assadollah Assadi who was an Iranian serving as a diplomat in Austria and was caught out of bounds and involved in a proven terrorist charge against the NCRI in Paris. In May 23 France managed to exchange three prisoners with Iran without concessions. Next, we have the Aug 23 purchasing of US/Iranian political hostages by the United States. On the 10 Aug 23 Arabic websites announced a deal had been struck between Iran and the United States Democratic Administration of Joe Biden. The deal was that Iran would ‘sell’ back five Iranian/American dual national hostages for the release of $7 billion from South Korea where it had been held since sanctions were imposed in 2018 along with the exchange of five Iranian prisoners. The funds would only be accessible for food and medicine and no sanctions relief. Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “The Islamic Republic will decide how to use the released funds, and these funds will be appropriated for the various needs of the country by the appropriate authorities.” It is up to "the Islamic Republic and competent Iranian authorities" to determine the manner of application of the unfrozen funds, the statement said. In 2015 the Democrat Obama administration in order to secure the nuclear agreement with Iran paid the Iranians $1.7 billion which secured the release of four American political hostages held in Iran. Obama also exchanged 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful and freed another seven. But the real bargaining started in 1979 when the Democrat administration of Jimmy Carter bought back the 52 American hostages of 1979. A total of $9.5 billion was paid to Iran. The question is, is the taking of political prisoners by Iran a lucrative business? Certainly, the next question that has to be asked is, “who else is holding Iranian funds and will more political hostages be kidnapped and held to ransom?”