LOS ANGELES.–After striking Israel with 200 ballistic missiles Oct. 1, Iran plans more missile strikes, something not yet confirmed by U.S. intel services. Warning about a new attack started yesterday with Israel’s limited ground offensive already met with stiff resistance, killing at least eight Israeli soldiers. Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was forced to deliver retaliatory strike when Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] struck 64-year-old Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah’s Beirut headquarters, killing Nasrallah and other key Hezbollah and Iranian commanders. “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” said an unnamed senior White House official. U.S. officials expecte Israel to respond to Iran’s Oct. 1 massive ballistic missile strike largely repelled by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Questions about how and when Israel plans to respond to Iran’s attack are not clear, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reserves for a time of his judgment. “We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” said the unnamed White House official, knowing that Israel prepares for its own retaliatory strike.” At this moment, we do not detect aerial threat launched from Iran,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, confirming that there were no signs of an imminent attack. Ayatollah Khamenei shows his true colors attacking Israel, something that wins him points in the Sunni Arab world, where Iran is largely rejected because of his Shiite faith. Shiites for the most part are considered apostates by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheik, despite allowing Shiites to complete the Hajj, the traditional yearly trip to Mecca.
Iran has no real connection to the Palestinian cause that started in 1948 when the British deeded the British Mandate of Palestine to Zionists from the Mideast and Europe. Once Israel fought and won its war of independence and declared a Jewish State, the Arab uprisings started, attesting to the anti-Semitic nature of Arab uprisings. Arabs lived for over 500 years under Ottoman Turk rule of the Holy Land, surrendering sovereignty in 1920 when the Ottoman Empire was broken up at the end of WW I. Britain received sovereignty of the Holy Land in 1920 in the Treaty of Sevres, spending only 28 years controlling the area. For over 500 years, Arabs never rebelled until the Jews took over the Holy Land in 1948. Arabs led by Palestine Liberation Oraganization Founder Yasser Arafat labeled Arabs living in the Holy Land Palestinians in 1964, having zero connection to Iran.
When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei led the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousting the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, it made the destruction of Israel major feature of the Islamic Revolution, coining slogans of “death to America” and “death to Israel.” Yet as Sunni Arabs, they have nothing in common with Persians, claiming to not be Arabs or speak Arabic. Yet if you listened to Hezbollah’s late Hassan Nasrallah, you’d think Persians were joined at the hip with Palestinians, something utterly farfetched. Israelis have a big choice in deciding to strike back at Iran in retaliation. Netanyahu could keep his powder dry for a time of his choosing while he prosecutes the new ground war in Lebanon. Hezbollah has responded fiercely to recent Israeli air strikes killing Nasrallah and other Hezbollah and Iranian leaders. Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah is actually a part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Now that the 2024 presidential campaign has come down to crunch time, Kamala acts likes she’s all in on defending Israel. Before, she tried with 81-year-old President Joe Biden to pressure Israel into a Gaza ceasefire which would let Hamas to continue to rule the Gaza Strip. Nentanyahu, with the sacrifices made to neutralize Hamas, could not accept Joe and Kamala’s shortsighted plan for Gaza. Now Kamala acts all in on Israel when she’s stressed the importance of a two-state solution, something out the question during a time of war. Hamas shows no signs of leaving Gaza, despite having lost most of its military wing. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, receives arms-and-cash from Tehran but is not part, like Hezbollah, of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran funds what it calls the “Axis of Resistance,” including Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis.
White House officials no longer obliquely criticize Netanyahu for doing what’s needed to defend Israel. Pressure was heaped on Netanyahu to settle the conflict on Hamas’s terms, letting the corrupt and violent terror group stay in power. Now White House officials have suddenly backed off their pressure and back Netanyahu. “The United States is committed to Israel’s defense,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today. Adding, the White House as ‘tracking events in the Middle East very closely.” Blinken understands that any chink in the White House stance on defending Israel would be catastrophic to Kamala’s election bid. She has no room for any mistakes between now and the Nov. 5 election. Netanyahu has many new options for retaliating against the Ayatollah. Khamenei has gone over the top striking Israel, knowing that Iran could get hit at any time.
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.
