Iran today made more threats against Israel and the United States, warning both countries that if the war in the Gaza Strip didn’t stop soon, they’d invoke the “axis of resistance” to join the fight. Iran’s bravado pretends to represent the Islamic world when in fact t it represents only Shiites, minority sect not accepted by the Mecca-Medina-based Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. So, when Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says he’ll call up the “axis of resistance” meaning Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Iraq-based Popular Front, Yemen’s Houthi rebels or other terror groups like ISIS or al-Qaeda he’s blowing smoke. Iran knows with two U.S. super-carrier battle groups in the Eastern Mediterranean, anyone trying to join the conflict would be decimated by the U.S. or Israeli military. Lebanon in particular has much to lose with Hezbollah opening up a new front.
Iran’s has much to lose interfering in the Israeli-Hamas war, knowing the consequences of jumping into the fray. President Joe Biden, 80, warned other malign-actors to stay clear of the conflict, especially Iran who sponsors terrorism against Saudi Arabia through its Houthi proxies. Iran recently got approval for a prisoner swap which would have freed up $6 billion in Iranian assets held in South Korea, now transferred to Oatar. Any attempt to join the fight in Gaza would end access to any of Iran’s frozen assets. It’s unlikely Iran would directly intervene in Gaza, more than paying iproxies to do the dirty work. After the Oct. 7-8 genocidal attacks on Israel, 73-uyear-old President Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas. White House officials have backed the Israeli operation in Gaza to end Hamas rule iin the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials have been deliberately ambiguous about the Israeli mission.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the globe show that most folks accept genocide as a means to achieving political aims. When you listen to pro-Palestinina demonstrators they keep repeating the same old narrative about Israel occupying Palestinian lands. Surely the demonstrators know that Palestinians lived for 500 years under Ottoman Turk control until 1920. Then the British were given the British Mandate of Palestine for 28 years, eventually turning it over to Jews in 1948. Apparently Palestinians weren’t occupied by other sovereign states for over 500 years. Only when the Jews received sovereignty over the Holy Land have Palestinians been in continuous war. But Palestinians know that Israel was recognized as U.N. state in 1949, after a bloody war of independence with five Arab states, including Arabs living in Holy Land in 1948.
When pro-Palestinian protesters don’t care about genocide against Israelis it’s a sad state of affairs thinking that any atrocity can win political aims. Eventually Nazi Germany took a big fall for egregious acts of genocide against Jews and other groups in WW II. Iran’s Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian parrots the views of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who rejoices in Israel’s historic security failure. Over 1,400 Jewish civilians were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists with 150 more take hostage. If that’s OK to pro-Palestinians activists, then they don’t follow the rules-base order for resolving political disputes. Ayatollah Khamenei thinks that the U.S. deserved Osama bin Laden’s Sept. 11, 200 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 U.S. citizens in New York, Washington and Shanskville, Pa. Israel looks at Hamas’ slaughter as its Sept. 11, the most deadly massacre since the Holocaust.
Iran’s threats let the world see how much the Ayatollah backs genocide against Israel. White House officials worry what would happen if Tehran got an atomic bomb, whether they would use it on Israel? But Ayatollah knows it takes two to tango and Iran would be hit with an atomic bomb just as quickly. “The responsibility for the possible opening of new fronts of resistance in the region and any escalation of today’s war directly falls on the United States and the Zionist regime [Israel],” said Amirabdollahian. Iran knows the consequences to Lebanon or possibly Tehran to any attack on the U.S. or Israel. Iran sends outrageous propaganda pandering to the Sunni world, thinking Iran would have its back. Saudi Arabia knows how good Iran’s word, after attacking the Kingdom with Houthi proxies for the last eight years. Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism only appeals to terrorist groups.
Real countries, not terrorist groups, have a lot to lose letting Iran’s “axis of resistance” join the Gaza War. Lebanon knows the consequences of another war with Israel something its economy can’t take. Listening to exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal call for Arab countries to rise up to defend Palestinians, Arab states know the consequences of war with Israel. Only terrorist groups seeking cash listen to Hamas or Iran’s pleas to join the resistance. Most Western nations have had their run-ins with Islamic terrorism, certainly in Spain, France, U.K. and Germany. With Iran calling for jihad against any Western powers backing Israel’s right to self-defense, the prospect of terrorist acts on civilized nations have increased. Iran called itself out with its latest threats to be the world’s biggest state-sponsor of terrorism. Iran likes to blow smoke but Western powers should be on high alert.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
