Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Hossein Salami this week praised Palestinians for carrying out “165 operations, 50% of them shooting [attacks],” adding that “Zionists martyred two of our forces [in Syria], but seven of them were killed by unseen hands.”
The “equation” between Israel and Iran has now become unequal and favors Iran, which is winning, he said in a speech. The source for Salami’s data on Palestinian attacks was unclear. His speech was reported by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which has links to the IRGC.
On April 4, Iran held funerals for “two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers killed in Israeli strikes in Syria last week,” the international Arabic news television channel Al Arabiya reported. At the time, the IRGC said that “the Zionists are trying to target the resistance front, but the resistance will become stronger and more motivated.”
Salami says US-Israel tensions growing
Salami said Israel, which he terms the “Zionist regime,” had been seeking to “dominate” the region. But Israel now faces “decay, chaos and disorder” that will lead to decline and collapse, he said in his speech. Salami also said the US would likely leave the region, adding that US-Israel tensions are growing.
“Today, the president of the United States does not accept the prime minister of the Zionist regime for a meeting and has banned his ministers from entering the United States,” he said. This appears to be a reference to the US not wanting to meet with far-right members of the current government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Furthermore, Salami referenced the recent wave of anti-judicial reform protests, saying Israel has faced rocket threats from Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip while the unrest occurred.
‘Handmaid’s Tale’-inspired protests across Israel on March 16, 2023 (credit: SHAY KORIANSKI)Although Israel has walls and fences with security systems, “unseen hands armed the West Bank, and you have modern automatic rifles and automatic weapons in the hands of the Palestinians,” he said. He might have been referring to weapons smuggling to the Palestinians.
Over the last year, there have been increased clashes between the IDF and Palestinian gunmen, primarily in Jenin and Nablus. Iran is hinting that it is aiding the “unseen hand” of weapons smuggling.
According to previous reports in The Jerusalem Post, many of the illegal weapons in the hands of Palestinians today consist of M-4 and M-16 variants, a rifle that is usually produced in the US and the West.
When the Israelis responded to recent rocket fire from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, “they hit the empty spaces,” Salami said. Countries in the region that are traditional partners of the US are moving away from it. He was likely referring to Saudi Arabia.
Salami also referenced how the Yemen war is dying down due to Saudi-Iran reconciliation, emphasizing that the US has no real place in the region today except “in a corner east of the Euphrates or in a few bases in Iraq and the region.” While the US appears powerful, it is “rotten,” he said.
The reference to the Euphrates refers to the US base at Green Village, Omar and Conoco in Syria, the areas that Iran frequently threatens with rockets and drones. It is believed that pro-Iranian proxies have carried out almost 80 attacks on US forces over the last two years.
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