(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Irina Tsukerman - According to Iranian media and officials, a secret plan was launched in 2015 to destroy Israel within 25 years. The strategy of uniting the Axis of Resistance fronts and proxies was devised by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Qods Force. While the U.S. and its allies were distracted by the negotiations over the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, Tehran was consolidating its hold over regional militias and terrorist organizations, aiming for the strategic encirclement of Israel. Iran is not only the architect of the terrorist infrastructure in the region but is also the mastermind behind any operations of significance. Hamas was joined by the Iran-backed PIJ and the Fatah/PLO-affiliated Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade on October 7; Mahmoud Abbas' financial support for the families of the Hamas fighters killed on and after October 7 cemented the consolidation of this network under Iran's patronage. The writer, a national security and human rights lawyer, journalist, and geopolitical analyst, is a Fellow at the Arabian Peninsula Institute and a Fellow at the Jerusalem Center.
2023-12-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive