Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Iran and its ally Hezbollah against entrenching near the Golan.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANThe view from Mount Bental, overlooking the border with Syria in the Golan Heights, August 22, 2020(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Iran’s judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, told Syria’s ambassador to Iran that it supports the “resistance” to retake the Golan Heights from Israel.The Syrian regime views the Golan as part of Syria, but the US recognized it as part of Israel. In the past week, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Iran and its ally Hezbollah against entrenching near the Golan.The meeting comes as Iran claims it has put its top air defenders on notice in northwest Iran that Iran will not allow any type of aggression. A visit by a major general to Tabriz showed that Iran was closely watching the developments in Azerbaijan, which is fighting Armenian forces in a disputed area.Raisi, a key figure and former presidential candidate, was quoted in Tasnim News in Iran about his comments about Israel. He was meeting Ambassador Adnan Mahmoud. He praised Syria and said that Iran and Syria must work together to accelerate the “demise of the fake Israeli regime” using what is called a “resistance strategy.” This usually refers to using Hezbollah or other proxies. But Iran says it wants to see “active resistance” against Israel, perhaps setting the stage or hinting at new operations. Iran says all the “occupied” areas must be “liberated.”The “resistance” is how Iran refers to its efforts against the US, Israel and “takfiri” militias, which means terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Iran is also pushing new policies to threaten Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.Raisi said that “the people of the region are showing that Syria stood well against the United States and Israel and all their armies, which are also supported by some countries in the region.”Iran’s insider said that Iran has weathered the storm of US sanctions. “I am convinced that the resistance of the Syrian people and the resistance movement and all the mujahideen forces in the region, from Hezbollah to Hamas, will bring victory and will lead to growing eternal misery and hatred for the United States.”Raisi said that Israel had dominated the region in the past, but now things were changing.Raisi said negotiations with Israel had failed to achieve what locals wanted. “The Camp David discussions failed.” Neither the Camp David agreement, nor the Oslo Accords nor the Sharm e-Sheikh Accords could do anything, he said.He slammed normalization with Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. “The people of the UAE and Bahrain are good people, but they are caught up in governments that have sacrificed their zeal and religious and national identity for unstable interactions and relations with the murderous and usurping regime that violates human rights and international treaties,” he said.
“Israel is perishable,” Raisi said, and called for “active resistance.” The head of the judiciary mentioned the assassination of “martyr Qasem Soleimani” as an unforgettable crime. Tasnim News noted that “the Syrian ambassador in Tehran stressed that Iran has always been a model for the Syrian people.”
