The death toll in a blast at a key Iranian port rose to at least 28 with over 1,000 wounded, authorities said Sunday, as an individual tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly confirmed the explosion occurred in a shipment from China of a chemical used to produce missile fuel.

An individual? What individual? Name? Not mentioned. “Tied to” the IRGC How? What tie binds this individual to the IRGC? Unmentioned. You’re supposed to take a giant leap of faith that this report is true and accurate

The New York Times quoted an individual with ties to Iran’s IRGC, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, who said that sodium perchlorate had exploded. The compound is a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.

The port had taken in a shipment of the chemical in March, the private security firm Ambrey said a day earlier. The fuel was part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Financial Times.

Ambrey is a private British Maritime Security Force-

All former military, as required

• Clean CRB / DBS or Police Criminal Check (Must have no previous criminal convictions)
• Continuous Regular Military Service
• Proven Military discharge with good/exemplary service within 10 years

It was unclear why Iran wouldn’t have moved the chemicals from the port, particularly after the Beirut port blast in 2020. That explosion, caused by the ignition of hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000 others.

Perhaps Iran was unaware these specific chemicals were present? Perhaps they were brought into the Port by an interested nations or nations who had them in the ready?

Who might have known these specific chemicals were present? Read the paragraph below as quoted from the Israeli time

However, Israel has targeted Iranian missile sites where Tehran uses industrial mixers to create solid fuel, including during its response to a massive Iranian missile barrage launched at Israel last October.

My conclusion based on the publicly accessible information, is this was a terror attack. Most likely perped by UK, US and Israel. The precedent for attacks by Israel on this type of material is openly acknowledged. The delivery of this material by a private British security firm manned by former military says covert op.

The fire at the Iranian Port is still raging. Iran is still fighting it all these hours later- Injuries are over 750 with 14 dead. Scroll down for the latest news on the Iranian Port explosion and fire.

Economist via Archive.ph

Omani Embassy in Rome was the meeting place-

They met there for a second round of nuclear talks on April 19th. It ended with upbeat statements and a promise of a third encounter.
Mr Araghchi lauded the “relatively positive atmosphere”

Donald Trump was more effusive, saying his administration had “very good meetings” on Iran (although he said the same about tariffs, Russia and Ukraine).

The two envoys’ next meeting was set for April 26th. (today)
Just as important are the “technical talks” meant to begin on the same day. Negotiating a nuclear deal is complex work; high-level envoys can do only so much. A meeting between experts means America and Iran are getting down to the details.

That is good—but it also means the easy part is over. America and Iran want to make a deal: that much is clear. They hope to improve on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and seven world powers that Mr Trump ditched three years later. But the president will have to contend with three big hurdles.

First is dealing with hardliners in his own administration. Mr Witkoff has sent contradictory messages about what America wants from a deal. In an interview with Fox News on April 14th he suggested that it would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium to 3.67%, much as the JCPOA did. The next day he reversed himself and said that Iran would have to “stop and eliminate” its enrichment programme.

The former goal is realistic; the latter is not. Mr Araghchi says a zero-enrichment deal is not up for discussion. Mr Witkoff’s about-face came under pressure from hawks in Washington unhappy that he had conceded on a key question so early.
The second challenge comes from Iran. It wants a new deal to be both more lasting and more lucrative than the JCPOA. That means it will seek guarantees that Mr Trump (or a future president) will not ditch it again: for a start, it wants the agreement to be a Senate-confirmed treaty, which the JCPOA was not. That is not an ironclad guarantee, however. Treaties can be abrogated, and there is precedent for presidents abandoning them unilaterally.
Some Iranian officials favour a more provocative guarantee. They have spent the past few years amassing a big stockpile of enriched uranium and thousands of advanced centrifuges. They hope to keep some of both in Iran at a facility under UN supervision. If America abandons the deal again, Iran could pull them out of storage and rev up its nuclear programme. That would provide some leverage. For the same reason, though, America will be reluctant to agree to such terms.
Iran also wants economic assurances. It is not enough for a deal to lift sanctions; it must also offer the promise of tangible benefits. The JCPOA was disappointing in that regard. It allowed Iran to export more oil but failed to unlock much foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2016, the first full year after the deal was signed, Iran’s FDI inflows were just 0.7% of GDP, says the World Bank, a meagre increase from 0.5% in 2015.

One way to solve this problem is to convince Gulf states to offer Iran trade and investment. That points to Mr Trump’s third challenge: he needs the support of other countries. The Saudis seem willing to help. On April 17th Khalid bin Salman, the defence minister, made the highest-level Saudi visit to Iran since 1997. The kingdom is nervous about a war and eager for America to make a deal. Mr Trump plans to visit three Gulf countries next month, which will give him a chance to seek their aid.

At the same time, he needs to manage Binyamin Netanyahu, who is sceptical of any deal and would prefer a military strike. The Israeli prime minister has visited Washington twice since Mr Trump’s inauguration in January. After their most recent phone call, on April 22nd, Mr Trump said the two were “on the same side of every issue”. For now the president seems willing to restrain Mr Netanyahu. If the talks drag on for months, that may get harder to do.

Iran, for its part, has settled on a canny strategy for dealing with Mr Trump: appealing to his business instincts. Mr Araghchi had been slated to speak on April 21st at a nuclear-policy conference organised by the Carnegie Endowment, an American think-tank. His speech was cancelled at the last minute, but he later posted it online, saying Iran wanted to build 19 nuclear reactors; American firms would be invited to bid. “Tens of billions of dollars in potential contracts are up for grabs,” he wrote. “The Iranian market alone is big enough to revitalise the struggling nuclear industry in the United States.”

There are only about 65 nuclear reactors being built around the world. The chance to build another 19 is a big prize. American companies might be reluctant to bid for the work. And a construction boom in Iran backed by us firms may seem bizarre. But all is possible in Trumpworld

Huge explosion in Iranian port wounds at least 516 people

An immense blast in Iran’s southern port of Shahid Rajaee has wounded at least 516 people, according to state media.

The cause of the explosion in the southern city of Bandar Abbas was unknown, with the director general of the province’s crisis management body saying it was working to determine the cause of the incident.

A local official told state TV that several containers exploded in the port, without mentioning what triggered the explosion.

State media also quoted Iranian security officials as saying “any speculation about the cause of the explosion is worthless”.

Videos showed a huge billowing mushroom cloud, with the force of the blast destroying a nearby building and shattering windows.

Injured people lay on the roadside while local hospitals handled an influx of hundreds of patients wounded in the blast.

Shahid Rajaee port is a large Iranian container facility which handles 80 million tonnes of goods per year and also deals with fuel tankers and refineries.

The explosion occurred as Iran and the US met for the third round of nuclear talks in Oman on Saturday, aiming to achieve a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.

As previously mentioned, I'm not a coincidence theorist. Russia had the terror attack the other day as Steven Witkoff was set to visit. And Iran has a massive explosion at a port as Steven Witkoff is set to continue negotiations today. Both Iran and Russia being targets of US aggression.

Updating on the Port fire

Huge blast at key Iranian port kills 14 and injures more than 750

At least 14 people have been killed and 750 injured in a massive explosion at one of Iran’s key ports, authorities say.

The blast took place at Shahid Rajaee, the country’s largest commercial port, near the southern city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.

It blew out windows and roofs of nearby buildings and destroyed cars. Residents reported feeling the impact of the blast up to 50km (31 miles) away.

Videos verified by the BBC show a fire growing in intensity before a huge explosion, with people subsequently fleeing the blast and others lying wounded on roads surrounded by smoking debris.

Does anyone recall the Beirut, Lebanon Port blast 2020?- Yah, that was devastating

There are massive gas fields in the Mediterranean- A very large one of the coast of Gaza- Of course Israel claims it as their own. There are also gas fields off the coast of Lebanon- Israel also claims that as their own.

We can understand that the Greater Israel expansion is a land and resource grab. Fully backed by the US.

Part of this plan is to cut Turkey out of the picture as well as Russia. Hence the Gene Sharp type protests in Turkey. Calculated in an attempt to delegitimize Turkey leadership. Also to interfere in Black Sea shipping by forcing Turkey’s hand despite the Montreaux Accord. If Israel, Cyprus and Greece can succeed with their planned pipeline- they will be the providers of gas to Europe, thereby rendering Russia unnecessary as a resource provider. It’s a big plan, that’s been in the works for a while now– Birth pangs. We are witnessing this in real time, as the plan, long in the process of being carried out, proceeds or advances.

original url

https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2017/01/greece-israel-stars-aligned-italy.html

 Government representatives from Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Israel plan to meet in February to discuss a natural gas pipeline from the east Mediterranean fields to Greece and Italy, according to a report in Globes, a business daily.

Israel energy minister Yuval Steinitz has already met Enel CEO Francesco Starace (pictured below) to discuss possible gas deals with the Italian power generator as production in northern Europe is declining. Enel also buys gas from Algeria.

An EU-sponsored survey last year found the 2,000-km pipeline would cost $5.7bn. The project will connect the Israeli Leviathan gas field, the offshore Cypriot Aphrodite gas field and possibly other gas fields to buyers in southern Europe.

A map on the European Commision's website shows a line starting east of Cyprus and running to Crete and from there up the west coast of mainland Greece to the Adriatic and then to Italy.

Map accessible via the wayback

https://wayback.archive-it.org/12090/20171219234014/https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-energy/projects-by-country/multi-country/7.3.1-0025-elcy-s-m-15

 The pipeline would have a 12bn m³/yr capacity and the idea is for the project to be built by private-sector companies without public funding (lie, the public funds the wars that make the areas usable..), although with the moral support of the European Union.

There is always public funding for big oil. What the heck does everyone think the carbon tax is really about?

Gas experts, however, are not convinced that the project can be achieved. An Israeli expert who was asked about the project's feasibility said the chances were zero as the project cost calculations were far too low and the project is just a PR stunt.

I’ve read this elsewhere also- unsure of the actual reserves- high, high costs. But there is all that public funding (debt enslavement) to help keep costs down- for big oil

Russian oil major Rosneft has also talked about piping gas from Egypt to Europe, an idea unlikely to meet with the same degree of support from the European Commission given the strong position Russia already holds in gas supplies. Egypt's own gas demand is also growing.

EU

 A key part of ensuring secure and affordable (?) supplies of energy to Europeans involves diversifying supply routes. This includes identifying and building new routes that decrease the dependence of EU countries on a single supplier of natural gas and other energy resources.

Israel sees ‘stars aligned’ for new gas pipeline to Europe- The Guardian via The Cypriot Puzzle

From 2014:

Israel and Cyprus have launched a new push for EU funds to build a pipeline that could bring about 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of their natural gas to Europe annually, and ease the continent’s energy security anxieties. 

But Palestinians are warning that without a broader resolution of regional disputes, the pipeline risks becoming a source of conflict.

The Cyprus-centred project could be the world’s longest pipeline if built, stretching up to 1,530km, and passing through depths of up to 3,000m.

The Israeli energy minister, Silvan Shalom, raised the issue at a ministerial conference in Rome last week and held talks on the margins with the EU’s vice president for energy union, Maros Sefkovic, Israeli sources say. 

Israel, Greece and Cyprus expect a formal meeting with Sefkovic to discuss ways of actualising the project, on the fringes of an EU energy ministers’ summit on 9 December.

“The three countries involved intend to raise this issue [on the 9th] as it involves funding from the commission,” an EU diplomat said. Israel, as a non-EU member, will depend on its partner countries’ powers of persuasion. 

With energy diversification and security both rising up Europe’s political agenda, “it looks like the stars have aligned in one position now and that might be good for our timing,” Guy Feldman, an advisor to Shalom told the Guardian. 

But the Palestinian Authority cautioned the EU against signing any contract until territorial gas disputes with neighbouring countries such as Lebanon were resolved.
“The objective of energy security starts with a clear cut boundary of all the gas fields,” said the PA’s energy minister, Omar Kettaneh. “Otherwise instead of being a source of security the pipeline will be a source of conflict.” 

In 2010, the US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that the Levant Basin, could hold more than 3,455bcm of gas, which is comparable to Iraq’s reserves.

But until now, political instability has hindered its exploitation, with Israeli and Cypriot claims to overlapping gas fields contested by Lebanon and Turkey, respectively.
In 2012, Israel, Cyprus and Greece signed a deal to promote exports of their gas to the EU through an eastern Mediterranean corridor. 

The planned offshore pipeline, which diplomats say could transport between 8-15bcm of natural gas annually, has already been selected for “project of common interest” status by the EU. This potentially gives it access to a €5.85bn fund, and preferential treatment from multilateral banks.

Clearly you can see the why of the conflict Israel has opted to engage in with Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

When you read the 2nd repost- You’ll notice that Russia was left out of these talks although Russia has strong connections to Cyprus.

Declassified UK

The UK secretly developed a defence plan with Israel, Declassified can reveal.

According to leaked documents, the British project was codenamed HEZUK and designed to counter the “destabilising regional activity of Iran and Hizballah”.

This would be done by strengthening UK-Israel intelligence collaboration and increasing military cooperation, with the effect of deepening bilateral security integration.

Joint work on hypersonic missiles and autonomous warfare were also apparently considered during Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister.

The information comes from a presentation prepared by Britain’s defence attaché to Tel Aviv in 2020 for a visiting delegation from the UK’s Higher Command and Staff Course.

The slides indicate that Project HEZUK was inaugurated in 2019-20, while the Israeli military was gunning down peaceful protesters in Gaza during the Great March of Return.

Over 200 Palestinians – including 46 children – were killed as they tried to return to their ancestral homes, and over 36,000 were injured.

The UK government referenced HEZUK once again in March 2020 when two officers from the British army’s 77th brigade were planning to visit Israel for “capability development” on “information operations”.

A visitor request issued by the British embassy in Tel Aviv noted how the visit was “pertinent to… a programme or agreement” named “MOD project HEZUK”.

The defence plan was apparently still active as recently as last year, when British major general James Roddis visited Tel Aviv under “HEZUK” auspices

‘Deeply entangled’

The documents originate from a hack of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) by a group called “Anonymous for Justice”. They were published this week by Distributed Denial of Secrets.

There is strong public interest in reporting on the material. Israel is being investigated by international courts for atrocities in Gaza, has just invaded Lebanon, and conflict looms with Iran.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) refuses to publish a military pact it signed with Israel in December 2020 which could relate to the HEZUK project.

Former British soldier Joe Glenton, who works for campaign group ForcesWatch, told Declassified: “These leaks show once again how deeply entangled the UK is with Israel. 

“It has to raise a number of ethical questions given the ongoing genocide in Gaza – and now the assault on Lebanon, itself a UK ally whose army is being trained by British troops”.

He added: “the public urgently need to know if the military and intelligence engagements detailed in these documents, which appear to date back a few years now, are still live programs. Because if they are, British military and intelligence personnel are being put to work supporting a genocidal state”.

The MoD refused to clarify whether HEZUK was ongoing.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We regularly work with partners and allies across the Middle East to contribute to regional security. This includes intelligence sharing, where it benefits our national security, as well as defence industrial collaboration, which supports UK economic growth”.

HEZUK

The defence plan focussed on five key areas, the leaked presentation shows.

Those included strengthening the intelligence relationship, improving military capabilities, liaising with the Israeli security establishment, seeking defence prosperity opportunities, and accessing overflight permissions.

The “HEZUK Planning Directive” specifically refers to Israel’s Defence Intelligence Special Operations Directorate, although further details appear to be redacted.

Declassified reported yesterday that IDF information operations specialists visited the British army’s psychological warfare unit, the 77th brigade, in 2019. A follow-up visit of British military officers to Tel Aviv was listed as part of the HEZUK project.

With regards to military liaison, the HEZUK Planning Directive refers to such issues as “force development and exercise”, “information exploitation”, and “land precision strike”.

Additional slides on defence “capability” list a number of “MoD programmes with potential Israeli solutions”.

That included “hypersonic air-surface weapon (Rampage)” and “Next Generation Operational Training”.

Britain and Israel were already working together on drones, air defence and loitering munitions, with plans to jointly investigate space, maritime and autonomous (AI) warfare domains.

Proscribing Hezbollah

Britain’s defence plan with Israel appears to have been drawn up in 2019, months after the UK proscribed all of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.

The political wing of the Lebanese movement had long remained legal in Britain, partly due to its members holding cabinet posts in Lebanon’s democratically elected government.

Declassified reported last week on how the total proscription of Hezbollah “came after intense lobbying by pro-Israel groups within Westminster”.

Another key development in the Middle East at this time was the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, which ripped up the main avenue for Western rapprochement with Iran.

Ex-British soldier Joe Glenton added: “If this latest material hadn’t been uncovered we’d never have known about it”.

Read the entire piece at the Declassified UK link

If you read yesterday’s article, and you looked at the map- you saw which parties were located, and where they were located in Syria. Also mentioned was Israel’s agreement to the ceasefire- Which they’ve broken repeatedly, but, that’s not specifically the subject of this post.

Recall my questions from the other day?

Israel bombed the Syrian/Lebanese border ahead of the alleged ceasefire for a specific reason. Israel activated the terrorists in Aleppo for very specific reasons- To impede the cooperation between Iran and Lebanon, via Syria

Israel warns Syria of ‘direct price’ to pay if it helps Hezbollah rearm

A series of Israeli strikes on border crossings between Lebanon and Syria just before a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect Wednesday morning were intended to set back the terror group’s smuggling efforts, while driving home as a stark warning to Damascus that Israel will take severe action to prevent attempts to rearm Hezbollah with Iranian weapons via Syrian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces has said that amid the truce it would continue to act to prevent all weapon deliveries to the Lebanese terror group, including by striking shipments anywhere in Lebanon or Syria.

“We struck on Syrian soil all attempts to transfer weapons to Hezbollah. If we detect intentions to transfer weapons to the organization — we will act,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference Wednesday night.

And, act they did!

In a briefing Wednesday, a senior military official said that the IDF would not just strike the weapon shipments, but Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime would pay for aiding Hezbollah.

“If Syria helps Hezbollah to rebuild, they will pay direct prices. Not only the convoys will be attacked, but there will be prices to pay in Syria as well,” the official said.

And all hell broke lose in Syria, just two days later. Israel is undoubtedly very motivated to act.

These deceased soldiers were Israeli special forces. Highly trained.

All Israel

Early reports indicate that IDF special forces units were the first to go in.

Earlier today this article had a different headline- “What an Israeli ground invasion could look like amidst an escalating war”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/02/israel-lebanon-invasion-hezbollah-war

Israeli military deaths in Lebanon raise questions over war’s scope 

I suspect the ambush, ensuing deaths and injuries factored into the headline change.

Archive.ph

Eight Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday in Lebanon, deaths that could shape the depth and scope of an Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces said the soldiers were killed in three separate incidents, with seven others seriously injured, but did not give further details. The statement came just hours after the military said it was engaged in “close-range” firefights inside Lebanese territory.

If the pace of Israeli casualties continues in Lebanon, it could shape the depth and scope of the offensive.

The IDF has described the ground operations in Lebanon so far as “limited, localized and targeted” raids within a few miles of the border.

I’ve no doubt Israel misrepresented their intentions. To their domestic populace. To the global community. However, other parties would be aware- The US, Russia, Iran, China…after all eyes are everywhere.

But as Netanyahu weighs future moves, he will need to navigate domestic calls for decisive military action in Lebanon, while also addressing concerns troops could get bogged down in skirmishes with fighters, and struggle to achieve the offensive’s bigger aims.

Troops have been bogged down in Gaza and now will be in Lebanon. Is decisive military action possible in this situation? What would decisive military action include?

But while the military has insisted it won’t stage a full-scale invasion, it has also ordered residents of 30 villages in southern Lebanon to flee. In orders posted to X on Tuesday, the Israeli military said people should leave an area about 30 miles north of the border.

Then, on Wednesday, the IDF announced that infantry and armored units were joining the fight, indications the military is preparing for a much larger ground campaign.

“The IDF and Israeli political echelons do not want to get stuck in a protracted operation that could boost Hezbollah, after it suffered several significant blows,” said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at Le Beck risk consultancy. “But that’s easier said than done.”

Where this will go is an unknown. But if we look back on previous fighting between Israel and Lebanon.. I can’t see how Israel is going to benefit from taking these actions. Of course, time will tell.

Israel has already killed an American citizen in Lebanon

“We are honored by my father’s sacrifice. In his last days, he chose to stay near the main hospital in Nabatieh to help the elderly, disabled, injured, and those who simply couldn’t financially afford to flee,” according to a statement shared with The Independent by his daughter Nadine Kamel Jawad on behalf of the family.

“He served as their guardian, provided them with food, mattresses, and other comforts, and anonymously paid off their debts,” she wrote. “I would often ask him if he was scared, and he repeatedly told me that we should not be scared because he is doing what he loves the most: helping others live in the land he loved the most.

“In his last moments, my father was calm. He emphasized our collective responsibility to help the oppressed,” Nadine wrote. “Even as he witnessed destruction from the missiles falling around him, his certainty in the importance of caring for community — in any and every capacity possible — remained at the forefront.”

Nadine said she spoke to her father on Tuesday as he fell from the impact of a nearby airstrike.

“He simply got back up, found his phone, and told me he needed to finish praying in case another strike hit him,” she wrote.

The Independent has requested comment from the Department of State.

Link

Israel has told the US that it plans to launch a limited ground incursion into Lebanon as soon as Monday, an American official has said.

Israel, which wants to push Hezbollah away from its northern border, has been carrying out “small, targeted raids into southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence and probing ahead of a possible broader ground incursion,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

An official told reporters in the US that a further small incursion could begin within hours.

While set details on the invasion remain unclear, the official confirmed this campaign will be smaller in scale than the 2006 operation Israel conducted in its war with Hezbollah, and it is expected to last a shorter period of time.

Yahoo

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday urged Israel not to send ground troops into Lebanon, calling on Israel and armed group Hezbollah to immediately agree to a ceasefire.

If Israel is going to enter Lebanon, which they are according to their own statements, it’s seriously silly to think Hezbollah will not respond to this invasion. Barrot’s statement is absurd. Do people realize how stupid, no moronic, nearly all politicians sound when they speak?

Hezbollah ready as IDF elite troops begin their raids over the border

Hezbollah says it’s ready for Israeli land invasion of Lebanon, as IDF elite troops ‘begin raids over border’

Below is a tweet from Jonathon Cook’s twitter account- Pretty sure most of the readers here know who Jonathon Cook is? If not, a brief bio.

In killing Nasrallah, Israel chose to open the gates of hell. We’ll all pay the price: Hezbollah has confirmed that its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was among the hundreds of Lebanese killed in Israel’s massive bombardment of a suburb of Beirut last night.

Israel’s decision to assassinate Nasrallah, using some of the enormous bunker-busting bombs the United States has been arming it with, is beyond foolhardy. It is outright deranged.

Israel has removed – and knows it has removed – a moderating influence on Hezbollah. Israel’s action will achieve nothing apart from teaching his successor, and leaders of other groups and countries labelled as terrorist by western governments, several lessons:

* That Israel, and the West standing squarely behind it, do not play by any known rules of engagement, and that their opponents must do likewise. The current restraint from Hezbollah that has been so baffling western pundits will become a thing of the past.

* That Israel is not interested in compromise, only escalation, and that this is a fight to death – not just against Israel but against the West that sponsors Israel.

* That Israel’s ideological extremism – its Jewish supremacism, and its endless craving for Lebensraum – must be met with even greater Shia-inspired extremism. Decades of western terrorism in the Middle East unleashed a Sunni nihilism embodied first in al-Qaeda and then in ISIS.

Now, the West, via Israel, is fomenting for the Shia resistance its own ISIS moment. The moderates in what the West dubs “terrorist organisations” have once again lost the argument. Why? Because the US imperial project known as “the West” has once again demonstrated it will not compromise. It demands full-spectrum, global dominance – nothing less.

Israel may make very short tactical gains in killing Nasrallah. But we will all soon feel the whirlwind. When that whirlwind comes, the job of our politicians and media will be to ensure we make no connection between this moment of savagery and insanity from us and the blowback.

The role of western establishments will be to cry victim, to insist “They hate us for our freedoms”, for our civilisational superiority, because “they” are simply barbarians.

But what comes next, as with what came before, will be entirely predictable. Violence doesn’t beget calm, it begets more violence. Israel knows that. Our leaders know that. But they opened the gates of hell anyway.

(Disclaimer: Nothing in this post, in line with Section 12 of the UK Terrorism Act, in any way indicates, or should be seen to be encouraging, support for any group designated as a terrorist organisation by the British government.)

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

“Let those fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. And whoever fights in the cause of Allah and is killed or achieves victory, We will bestow upon him a great reward.”

Allah, the Almighty, has spoken the truth.

His Eminence, the Master of Resistance, the righteous servant, has passed into the embrace of his Lord as a great martyr, a courageous leader, a bold, wise, and insightful believer. He has joined the eternal luminous convoy of the martyrs of Karbala, walking in the divine, faithful path of the prophets and martyr Imams.

His Eminence, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined his fellow great and immortal martyrs, who he has led for nearly thirty years. He guided them from victory to victory, succeeding the Master of the Islamic Resistance Martyrs in 1992, through the liberation of Lebanon in 2000, the divine victory of 2006, and other battles of honor and sacrifice, up to the current struggle in support of Palestine, Gaza, and the oppressed Palestinian people.

We extend our condolences to the Awaited Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance), to the guardian of the Muslims, His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei (may his shadow endure), to the great scholars, the mujahideen, the believers, the resistance nation, our patient and struggling Lebanese people, the entire Islamic nation, and all the free and oppressed people of the world. We also offer our deepest condolences to his honorable and patient family. We congratulate His Eminence, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, may Allah bless his soul, for attaining the highest divine honors— the Medal of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him—realizing his greatest wish and reaching the highest levels of faith and pure belief, as a martyr on the path to Jerusalem and Palestine. We offer our condolences and congratulations for the martyrdom of his companions, who joined his pure and sacred convoy following the treacherous Zionist airstrike on the southern suburbs.

The leadership of Hezbollah pledges to the supreme, holiest, and dearest martyr in our journey, filled with sacrifices and martyrs, that we will continue our jihad against the enemy, in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defense of Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people.

To the honorable mujahideen and victorious heroes of the Islamic Resistance, you are the trust of the martyred Sayyed, his loyal brothers, his unshakable shield, and the crown jewel of valor and sacrifice. Our leader, His Eminence, is still with us in thought, spirit, and sacred path, and you remain faithful to the promise of resistance and sacrifice until victory.

Saturday, 28-09-2024
24 Rabi’ al-Awwal, 1446 AH

I have no doubt his replacement is already known, but, not to me. So, who will it be?