(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira - General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), came to Lebanon immediately after the deaths of five Hizbullah officers and an Iranian general who were killed near Kuneitra on Jan. 18. A picture of Soleimani sitting by the grave of his favorite disciple in Lebanon, Jihad Mughniyeh, son of former Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, was widely disseminated. Soleimani met with Hizbullah leaders to make sure that Hizbullah's response to the Kuneitra operation would be of limited scope. Iran does not want Hizbullah to use its strategic missile force, which it built in Lebanon to deter Israel from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. At the same time, a new front in Syria, where "Hizbullah Syria" has been created, must be constructed as a continuation of Iran's line of defense in Lebanon. According to Supreme Leader Khamenei's assessment, Iran is on the way to signing a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that is favorable from Iran's standpoint. At the same time, Iran is now concentrating its intelligence efforts on harsh retaliation against Israeli or Jewish targets outside of the region. The commander of the IRGC, General Ali Jafari, hinted at this by saying, "Israel should expect a powerful response anywhere in the world."
2015-02-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive