Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday Ali Khamenei threatened Israel and the United States with “a crushing response” in retaliation for attacks on Iran and its allies. It is clear that further attacks from both sides could overwhelm the Middle East, already shaken by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and by Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon, in a much larger regional conflict, just before next Tuesday’s US presidential election. Khamenei spoke out as Iranian authorities step up threats of a further attack on Israel. This climate of tension follows the Israeli incursion on October 26 against the Islamic Republic which hit several military bases and facilities, causing, according to Iranian sources, at least five soldiers dead. Israel’s response came a few weeks after the Iranian attack on October 1, when 200 ballistic missiles were launched against the Jewish state, forcing much of the population to take shelter in bunkers and safe rooms. The offensive caused limited damage to military bases and some residential areas, as well as the death of one Palestinian in the West Bank. “The enemies, whether it is the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response for what they are doing to Iran, to the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei said in a video released by Iranian state media. The supreme leader gave no details about the timing of the threatened attack, nor its scope. Speaking of threats to the United States, Washington is strengthening their deterrent forces in the Middle East, while Iran continues to threaten Israel. The US announced plans on Saturday to deploy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refueling planes and Navy destroyers to the region, and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the Arabian Sea. In this sense, Pentagon spokesperson, Air Force General Patrick Ryder, stated: «If Iran, its partners or their proxies were to use this moment to strike American personnel or interests in the region, the States United we will take all necessary measures to defend our people.” As of this writing, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base have already arrived in the Middle East.
Iranian Propaganda Efforts Vanished as Economy Collapses
The 85-year-old Khamenei had taken a more cautious approach in previous statements to date, saying officials would evaluate Iran’s response and that Israel’s attack “should neither be exaggerated nor downplayed.” The economy is in deep crisis under the weight of harsh international sanctions and the country is marked by years of widespread protests. Shortly before Khamenei’s bombastic statements, General Mohammad Ali Nainispokesman for the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard which controls the ballistic missiles needed to strike Israel, gave an interview published by the Fars news agency where he warned that «Iran’s response will be wise, powerful and beyond the understanding of enemy”. Iran attacked Israel directly with missiles and drones for the first time in April, but today faces significant internal difficulties. After Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech, the value of the Iranian rial fell to 691,500 per dollar, almost reaching a historic low. Iranian propaganda efforts that worked to downplay the attack were dashed when a series of satellite images, analyzed by the Associated Press, revealed significant damage to military bases near Tehran linked to the country’s ballistic missile program, as well as to a Revolutionary Guards base used for satellite launches. However, Iran’s ability to follow through on its threats against Israel may have been significantly compromised, with US and Israeli officials revealing to the Wall Street Journal that Israeli attacks have inflicted severe damage on air defenses and manufacturing sites missiles from Tehran. Iran’s proxies, known in Tehran as the “Axis of Resistance”, have also suffered heavy losses due to continued Israeli attacks, particularly Hezbollah (reduced to a minimum in its chain of command in Lebanon), and Hamas in the Gaza Strip which has lost 80% of its military force and which has seen all its military leaders die in the war – Mohammed Deif first and Yaha Sinwar then – without forgetting that Hamas also lost its “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh died in Tehran on 31 July 2024. Speaking of Palestinian jihadists, the news on Saturday was that Hamas arrested two people suspected of being involved in revealing the whereabouts of Mohammad Deif at the time of his elimination by Israel on 13 July in Khan Younis. Asharq Al-Awsat reports that the two detainees are described as “couriers”. The first “courier” is a resident of Rafah who carried written messages between the leaders of the military wing of Hamas. According to the suspicions raised by the terrorist organization, the individual collaborated with Israel and provided them with the location of Mohammad Deif and brigade commander Khan Yunis Rafa’a Salamehwhich was also eliminated. Together with him, another “courier” of Khan Yunis was arrested, who was directly responsible for transmitting messages to Salama and knew his location. Finally, speaking of Hezbollah, which launched over 100 missiles against Israel yesterday alone, on Saturday an Israeli military unit carried out a spectacular incursion in an area near the Lebanese coastal city of Batroun (about 140 kilometers from the border Israeli), where he captured a senior Hezbollah official identified in Imad Amhazan officer of the Lebanese Navy.
The capture of Imad Amhaz
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