Hezbollah Leader Warns Israel Not To Attack Amid Tensions

Jan 5, 2024, 18:48 GMT

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address at a memorial ceremony to mark one week since the passing of Mohammad Yaghi, one of the powerful armed group's figures, in Baalbek, Lebanon January 5, 2024.

The Lebanese Hezbollah is conducting fierce attacks against Israeli targets to help Hamas in Gaza, the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Friday.

Following the targeted killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas leader by Israel in Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, Nasrallah tried to convey a sense of strength and commitment to aiding Hamas.

“If we had not opened the northern front, forcing Israel to draw away brigades from Gaza, it could have more easily replaced and rotated their forces in Gaza…and the fighting there would have been much more difficult for the resistance,” Nasrallah who has lived in hiding for years said in a video address.

Following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, many expected a full-fledged war to erupt also against Hezbollah, but the Iranian-backed force has limited its involvement to border skirmishes with Israel. Nasrallah claimed that Hezbollah has killed and wounded thousands of troops, that he said Israel keeps as a secret.

He also warned Israelis not to attack Lebanon. “I say to the settlers who call on Israel to launch a war on Hezbollah; this would be a wrong decision for you, and you would be the first one to be affected.”

Hezbollah’s patron, the Iranian regime, has also avoided direct involvement in the Gaza war, despite its decades-long rhetoric to destroy Israel.

Some observers have argued that Iran is not willing to risk Hezbollah, which is its strongest proxy force in the region. Tehran also does not have the financial resources to compensate losses, like it did after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, when it had much higher oil revenues.

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Iran Arrests Suspects Over Kerman Twin Blasts

Jan 5, 2024, 14:54 GMT

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Friday that a number of suspects have been arrested over the Kerman attacks claimed by Islamic State.

According to Vahidi, the country's intelligence bodies have found "very good leads" regarding individuals involved in the Kerman explosions. He added, "Some of those who played a role in this incident have been arrested."

Vahidi stated that comprehensive information on this matter will soon be communicated by the intelligence apparatus.

His remarks came in the aftermath of the twin bombings in Kerman, where a commemorative event for Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, was targeted. Nearly 90 people were killed in the incident and 284 were injured.

Majid Mohammadi, Vahidi’s deputy in security affairs, claimed later in the day that the suspects were arrested in five different cities.

The funeral for about half of the casualties was held on Friday.Crowds chanted "revenge, revenge" in state TV footage of the funerals in the city of Kerman, the scene of Wednesday's explosions, the bloodiest such attacks in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The security lapses leading to the deadly attack have sparked public criticism and concerns about the Islamic Republic's ability to ensure the safety of its citizens during such events.

Despite the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State (ISIS), the Islamic Republic authorities, such as President Ebrahim Raisi and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, blame Israel and the United States for the attack.

German Reporter Apologizes For Saying ‘All Iranians Worship Soleimani’

Jan 5, 2024, 14:10 GMT

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Benjamin Weinthal

The Istanbul-based correspondent for the German public TV station ARD sparked anger over his report that claimed all Iranians worship IRGC’s late Qasem Soleimani.

“Every Iranian, whether opposition or not, worships him as a hero, “Markus Rosch told millions of viewers on Wednesday watching the popular ARD Tagesschau news program. Rosch’s comment about a man accused of fomenting bloodshed in the Middle East triggered widespread outrage on social media, prompting Rosch to walk back his statement.

Many Iranians view Soleimani as a destructive figure, labeling him a master terrorist, echoing the terminology used by the United States. Some critics argue that his primary focus was on developing Iran's regional proxy networks rather than addressing domestic concerns.

Rosch broadcasted his report following the terror attack at Soleimani’s gravesite in Iran this week.

Bomb explosions may have killed as many as 94 people and there remain conflicting reports about the perpetrators behind the mass murder in the city of Kerman.

Sheina Vojoudi, who fled the Islamic Republic of Iran to Germany to escape persecution, told Iran International “Statements like this disrespect thousands of innocent Iranian lives taken away by Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was responsible for the mass killing of the Iranian protesters in Bloody November 2019. One of the IRGC’s high ranking commanders confirmed Soleimani’s key role also in suppressing the protests in 1999 and 2009 with violence and thousands of Iranians were murdered, tens of thousands were arrested and tortured in the Islamic Republic’s prisons. “

Germany’s largest mass circulation paper, Bild, reported “The outrage is now having an impact on ARD correspondent Markus Rosch.” Bild wrote that Rosch wrote on X, “I apologize for this mistake. Soleimani is only worshiped as a hero by the Islamic Republic regime and its supporters.” It is unclear if ARD disciplined Rosch for his journalistic misconduct.

After rising anger on X, ARD published a correction on its website about Rosch’s false information.

Vojoudi, an associate fellow for the Gold Institute for International Strategy, said about the myth that the US and EU-designated terrorist, Soleimani, was beloved by Iranians. “This is the Islamic Republic’s propaganda and shockingly the western media help the Islamic regime to spread it. The Iranian people are the main victims of the Islamic Republic’s terrorism.”

She added “Soleimani was in competition with Ali Khamenei to gain the first place in killing the Iranian people and spreading terrorism in the whole region.”

Vojoudi went on to say that “The regime still kills Iranians in his name and recently the regime’s supporters started to identify the Iranian students who expressed their happiness on Soleimani’s death anniversary and started a campaign to share the identity, address and the name of the universities of the these students and promised them to arrest and torture them in prison.”

Behrouz Asadi, the head of the Democratic Forum of Iranians in Mainz, Germany also expressed shock about the ARD broadcast. He told Iran International, “It is shameful to call him a hero of the people.”

Soleimani “belongs to a regime that only has terror, arrest, torture and executions on its record. He belonged to the IRGC terrorist organization and is not a representative of the Iranian people,” said Asadi, an energetic campaigner against the Islamic Republic.

He added, “The regime tries to present him as a hero in the sense of a totalitarian regime. The majority of the people have a clear stance against him and the regime. He was instrumental in maintaining the regime. The people stood up several times for freedom and democracy and human rights. He and his perpetrators tried to nip every cry for democracy in the bud.”

Asadi said Soleimani “set up mercenaries abroad for terror. He was involved in Assad's stability through wars against the Syrian people. The Iranian people are fighting for peace and freedom.”

Iraq Prepares To End Presence Of US Forces After Attacks

Jan 5, 2024, 12:29 GMT

Iraq is forming a committee to prepare the closing down of the US-led international coalition's mission in the country, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said on Friday.

Sudani's statement came a day after a US strike killed a militia leader in Baghdad, prompting anger among Iran-aligned groups which demanded the government end the presence of the coalition in Iraq.

"Government is setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently," a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The committee would include representatives of the military coalition, a government official said. It is not clear if the Biden administration is also willing to withdraw its forces.

The US military launched Thursday's strike in retaliation against recent attacks on US personnel, the Pentagon said.

The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission it says aims to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large parts of both countries before being defeated.

Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq have been launching rocket and drone attacks against US forces since mid-October after war broke out against Hamas in Gaza.

Sudani has limited control over some Iran-backed factions, whose support he needed to win power a year ago and who now form a powerful bloc in his governing coalition.

"We stress our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justifications for its existence have ended," Sudani was quoted as saying in the statement.

With reporting by Reuters

Iran's Prosecutor Warns People Against Discussing Kerman Blasts

Jan 5, 2024, 11:14 GMT

Iran’s prosecutor-general has threatened legal action against individuals publishing norm-breaking content about the twin bombing in Kerman this week.

Mohammad Movahedi-Azad issued the stern warning to curb the dissemination of ideas or news that may be deemed contrary to the government's narrative.

"Given the necessity of taking decisive action against individuals who have disrupted the mental security of society by producing, disseminating, and republishing illegal content, it is essential for intelligence and security agencies to identify all involved parties and perpetrators and introduce them to the relevant judiciary."

Despite the warning, numerous individuals have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the government's perceived inadequate security measures leading to the deadly incident in Kerman. Critics argue that the failure to ensure the safety of public gatherings resulted in this deadly attack.

The bombing targeted a large public gathering commemorating Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, who was killed by a US drone strike in January 2020. Nearly 90 people were killed in the incident and 284 were injured.

Iranian dissidents view Soleimani as a controversial figure, labeling him a master terrorist, echoing the terminology used by the United States. Some critics argue that his primary focus was on developing Iran's regional proxy networks rather than addressing domestic concerns.

Questions are being asked about the veracity of the claim that ISIS was behind the twin bombings in Kerman. No one claimed responsibility for the attack for almost 30 hours, when reports appeared that ISIS (or Daesh) had issued a statement posted on the chat app Telegram. Immediately, many Iranians began to express doubt about the ISIS claim, convinced that the Islamic Republic itself was somehow responsible for one of the worst acts of violence against civilians.

Confusion Over Iran Bombing As Opponents Blame The Regime

Jan 5, 2024, 08:36 GMT

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Iran International Newsroom

Questions are being asked about the veracity of the claim that ISIS was behind the twin bombings in Kerman, Iran, which killed between 84-94 people on Wednesday.

The bombing took place at an event commemorating Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC’s Quds force and Iran’s most powerful military figure, who was killed by a US drone strike in January 2020.

No one claimed responsibility for almost 30 hours, when reports appeared that ISIS (or Daesh) had issued a statement posted on the chat app Telegram.

Immediately, many Iranians began to express doubt about the ISIS claim, convinced that the Islamic Republic itself was somehow responsible for one of the worst acts of violence against civilians.

“How lovely of ISIS. They always come to the regime’s rescue at crucial moments,” wrote one dissident activist on social media. “The same thing happened last year [in Shiraz] during the protests, just as the regime was losing control.” This was a reference to a terror attack on Shahcheragh shrine at the height of anti-regime protests in 2022.

This sentiment is very common among Iranians. It is expressed in various forms and on various grounds, such as the fact that no official or figure of note, not even Soleimani’s family, were present at the ceremony. All such assertions arrive at the same conclusion that “it was the regime itself.”

https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1742877213391732857

So far there’s no evidence to validate such suspicion.

Curiously enough, the regime’s ultras (for once) seem to share the public’s view that it wasn’t ISIS, but they’re pointing in another direction.

“The ISIS statement has been issued with Zionists' supervision,” the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim proclaimed on its official X account. It then pointed out what it believed were inconsistencies and irregularities that proved the ISIS statement was not authentic.

https://twitter.com/james_bidin/status/1742994750641258562

But that post was deleted shortly after, creating more confusion and fueling speculations about the potential perpetrators and their motivation.

The question was then duly taken to US officials.

“We don't have any more detail in terms of how it happened or who might be responsible for it," said John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US National Security Council, in a press conference Thursday. "We have no indication at this time at all that Israel was involved in any way whatsoever."

The State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller seconded Kirby’s statement.

"It's too early, at least, for us to be able to say what might have caused it,” he said in the department’s briefing. “The United States was not involved in any way, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous… and we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion."

The US and Israel have not yet been officially blamed by the Iranian government – possibly because doing so would put the IRGC in a difficult position: do nothing and look weak or retaliate and risk a costly confrontation that it seems to want to avoid. But a host of officials, and government media have blamed Israel and some have also named the US.

Fears of a full-blown regional war are growing by the day.

Over the weekend, Yemen Houthis attacked yet another commercial vessel. Americans responded by sinking three Houthi boats. On Tuesday, Israel killed a senior Hamas official by a drone attack in Beirut. Then came the bombing in Kerman. And Thursday, the US military killed an Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad.

Politico reported Thursday evening that US officials “are drawing up plans… to respond to what they’re increasingly concerned could expand from a war in Gaza to a wider, protracted regional conflict.”

Inside Iran, activists are concerned that the bombing in Kerman –whoever the perpetrator– could be used as an excuse to further suppress dissidents and regime critics.

“These circumstances empower the government to justify and implement actions that would be unjustifiable under normal circumstances.” posted the human rights organization Hengaw on X. “This situation may lead to a reduction in government transparency and accountability, resulting in widespread human rights violations.”

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