After a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus killed the top commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran is using proxies rather than attacking the Jewish state directly. likely to be used.
“Given the target and location of the attack, which is a building adjacent to the consulate, we expect Iran to respond,” Bill Roggio, editor-in-chief of the Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital.
“It’s hard to say how Iranians will react,” Roggio said. “Iran may seek to target Israelis abroad or use militias such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi and Syrian militias to attack targets inside Israel.”
Roggio’s comments came after Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, was reportedly killed in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital on Monday, Reuters reported. It was issued.
Who is Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Iranian military commander reportedly killed in Syria?
Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi has reportedly been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria. (Firth Media Co., Ltd.)
According to reports, the Iranian consulate was destroyed in an airstrike, and Syrian and Iranian media attributed the massacre to Israeli airstrikes.
According to Reuters, Israel refused to comment on the apparent attack, with an Israeli military spokesperson saying: “We do not comment on foreign media reports.” According to Iranian state television, several Iranian diplomats were also killed in the attack.
Senior leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps reportedly killed in Syria attack
Since the October attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel has stepped up attacks on Syrian and Iranian-backed targets, hitting both Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group and Revolutionary Guards targets in Lebanon, according to Reuters. are doing.
According to Reuters, Iranian state media reported that several diplomats were also killed in the airstrike. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi/TPX Image of the Day)
Yigal Kalmon, a former advisor to two Israeli prime ministers on counter-terrorism and founder and director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Fox News Digital that “Khamenei’s long-standing policy has been based on despicability.” “The pattern of Iran’s response is as follows.” They escalate when they feel the other person is afraid of them, and back off when they show inhibitions. ”
He added: “With the attack on an official Iranian government target in Damascus, Israel has escalated its attacks against Iran and has signaled to Iran that Israel will not continue with the proxy game that Iran so often plays. Israel’s escalation. was meant to serve as a warning. We are doing that.” For now, Iran, we are ready to fight you directly, even if we are at war in both Gaza and Lebanon. ”
“Khamenei will not respond to Israeli escalation by escalating against Israeli targets by Iran itself,” Carmons said. “Rather, he will not respond to Israeli escalations by escalating against Israeli targets by Iran itself. Rather, he will play proxy games by targeting Israel by the Houthis, Hezbollah, and perhaps Western terrorists.” “I think he will continue,” he said. At this point, we do not need, nor are we ready for, an all-out war with Israel. ”
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Helj Halevi assesses the situation and consults with reserve commanders on the Lebanese border. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
Another expert on the region, Casey Babb, a fellow at the Tel Aviv National Security Institute and professor at the Norman Patterson School of International Studies in Ottawa, told Fox News Digital that this attack is an example of an Israeli attack. he said. Significant military influence.
“This sends a signal to Israel’s enemies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran and other adversaries, that Israel’s reach is immense and no one is safe,” Babb said. said.
Babu said the attack dealt a “severe systemic blow” to Iran, disrupting the Revolutionary Guards’ ability to “mobilize, plan and carry out effective attacks” and “redirecting Iranian leadership to and the minds of their agents.
“It makes them feel weak, it makes them feel inferior, and importantly, it makes them doubt themselves,” Babu said. “At the end of the day, all savages know their death warrant has been issued. This killing only serves as a reminder of that.”
A damaged car is pulled up after an attack in Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 1. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi)
In response to the attack, State Department spokesman Matt Miller said at a press conference that the U.S. had not confirmed the targets or those responsible, but that the reported attack was considered an “escalation” and a “serious situation.” The State Department is concerned that this could lead to Conflict is intensifying in the region. ”
Meanwhile, FOX News’ Trey Yingst reported Monday that Iran has vowed a “swift, direct and tough” response to the apparent Israeli attack.
However, Babu insisted that Iran was unlikely to launch any “significant” response.
“Hezbollah, Iran and other potential forces that could strike back do not want an all-out war with Israel,” Bab said. “They know they’re going to be in ruins relatively quickly, so they’ll respond in some kind of coordinated way, but not to the point of provoking a full-scale military conflict.”
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Attending the funeral of Hezbollah fighter commander Wissam al-Tawil on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, in the village of Khirbet Serm in southern Lebanon. The war of words in Lebanon is indicative of longstanding divisions in the small country over Hezbollah. Those concerns are now amplified by the role of extremist groups in the Lebanese-Israeli border clash and fears that already crisis-hit Lebanon could be drawn into an all-out war. (AP Photo/Hussein Mara, File)
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and an expert on Iran and its proxies, told FOX News Digital that Iran generally avoids direct conflict with Israel and is reluctant to attack. He said he has been using the agent to carry out the crime. , “The attack in Damascus specifically targeted not only the Iranian consulate but also senior officials of the Revolutionary Guards. As a result, Iran will respond more forcefully to this incident compared to past attacks against officers in Syria. “It’s very likely,” he said.
“This possible change in tactics suggests that the conflict between Iran and Israel may be entering a new and potentially more dangerous phase,” he warned.
