Pro-Palestinian Quds Day Demo Cancelled In Berlin For 3rd Year In A Row

Support for militant groups by the Islamic Republic certainly fuels occasional military clashes with Israel, but so far, media controlled by the IRGC and hardliners has limited itself to publishing news of the clashes with the usual rhetorical tint of Palestinians inflicting heavy losses on “the Zionist enemy.”

Even the most hardliner IRGC mouthpiece, Javan newspaper, had no lead story Friday morning about the military clashes which saw dozens of rockets fired from Hezbollah controlled territory in southern Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, while rockets continued to be fired across the Gaza border from Hamas, who in 2021 publicly thanked Tehran for a $70m donation of missiles. 

Instead, hardline media on Friday focused on the hijab issue, the regime facing ongoing challenges of enforcing the mandatory headscarf amidst mass rebellion. Media in Iran carried more reports about how insidious women who remove their veils are, rather than coverage of Israeli-Palestinian clashes.

Although the IRGC top brass might start taking credit for their support for the “resistance front” once clashes die down, at this point they seem to prefer to stay on the sidelines rather than further implicate the Islamic Republic in Palestinian actions, however clear that influence is.

However, there have been some discreet nods to the attacks such as public statements made supporting the Palestinian cause.

Press TV -- an official regime channel -- also continued to show support for the cause in a discreet celebration of the barrage of dozens of rockets fired into Israel on Thursday.

This could not have happened without Hezbollah’s approval -- Iran’s most powerful proxy controlling the entire area. It is unlikely that Tehran was unaware of the attack, and very likely it had approved such a move.

The military flare up coincided with an important meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers in Beijing, where they agreed on the process to re-establish diplomatic relations after seven years of bitter animosity. Analysts assume that Saudi Arabia expects Iran to behave differently in the region, especially in propping up militant groups.

The only visible action by Tehran was a call by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday for convening a meeting of the Organization Of Islamic Cooperation to discuss Israel’s latest “assault” on Al-Aqsa Mosque and its “desecration.”

But the question which remains unanswered is what the purpose of a visit by two Iranian foreign policy figures was to Syria and Lebanon in late March. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s foreign policy advisor Kamal Kharrazi and former nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi visited Damascus and Beirut during Iran’s Nowruz holidays, with no statements made about the purpose of the diplomatic visit. 

Kharrazi only commented that it was a “successful mission”, but it is unlikely the representatives of Khamenei were there merely as a courtesy call. Did they carry a message from the Supreme Leader? What was the message that could not have been delivered through routine channels to Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah? It is also no coincidence that on the eve of the attacks from Lebanon on Thursday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Beirut to meet with Nasrallah.

At the end of March, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif called on Palestinians to take advantage of ongoing protests in Israel against proposed legal reforms under the right-wing government, to destabilize the country. On March 28, Sharif said “this is a golden opportunity for the Palestinian fighters to take advantage of the situation,” telling local media that Jerusalem’s “liberation” is near, “thanks to the Palestinian struggle.” He called Khamenei “the flag bearer” of the fight against Israel.”

For now, Israel is not taking the bait. Refusing to attribute blame for the barrage on Hezbollah, it prefers to focus on Hamas, which has so far managed to create chaos on three fronts, Al Aqsa, Gaza’s border and now, the Lebanese border. The Israelis have vowed a strong response, but are as yet keeping their cards close to their chest before playing into the hands of Iran and Hezbollah.

According to the sources, the attacks on March 30 and 31 hit intelligence centers operated by Iran and Lebanese militant outfit Hezbollah in cooperation with the Syrian government forces in the al-Mazzah municipal district in the capital Damascus and the attack on April 4 targeted Al-Qusayr airport near the Lebanese border.

Vowing revenge, the Islamic Republic has admitted that two IRGC “military advisors” -- namely Meqdad Meqdani (Meghdad Meghdani) and Milad Haydari – were killed in the late March attacks. According to the sources, the attacks seemed to be Israel's response to a foiled terrorist attack a week ago in the Megiddo area inside Israel by a person who, according to Israel, was sent by Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The sources added that both Meqdani and Haydari were IRGC intelligence officers in Syria, noting that a group of senior members of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, including former head of the body Hossein Taeb, visited the bereaved families of the two “martyrs” in the past few days.

Iran usually does not report the extent of its casualties in Syria and some observers say that acknowledging the deaths of two IRGC personnel can mean that Tehran wanted to lay the ground for retaliation. Iran International sources are of the opinion that the IRGC forces are planning an imminent attack inside Israel with the help of Hezbollah forces.

On Thursday, dozens of rockets were fired into Israeli territory from Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon, where several displacement camps hosting Palestinian refugees and armed factions are located.

According to Israeli-based news channel i24NEWS, Hezbollah has told Lebanese media that Palestinian groups were behind the rocket attacks.

Three security sources also told Reuters that Palestinian factions based in Lebanon were behind the rocket attacks on Thursday afternoon across the disputed border into Israel.

The Israeli military is still assessing the situation following Thursday's rocket strikes from Lebanon but is working on the assumption that Palestinian factions were behind the attacks, a defense official said. The Israeli military said 34 rockets were launched from Lebanon on Thursday, of which 25 were intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile system.

In response to the volley of rockets fired from Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to hit back hard, saying "As for the aggression aimed at us from other fronts - we will hit our enemies and they will pay a price for every act of aggression." Hours after his threat, powerful Israeli airstrikes rocked Gaza strip after midnight on Friday.

Iran has considerable drone capabilities that it has used against US bases in Syria as recently as last month, killing a US contractor and injuring at least eight US servicemen.

Tensions rose in Syria when on March 23 Iranian backed forces attacked a US base with a drone, inflicting casualties. The US responded with an air strike, which was followed by more attacks on US forces. The tit-for-tat strikes stopped after two days, but Iran has targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria 80 times since early 2021 when the Biden administration assumed office.

Israel has been regularly attacking targets in Syria since 2017 to weaken Iran's attempts to strengthen its military presence in the war-torn country and build up a threat on Israel's northern borders.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said so far, 34 rockets had been fired into Israel, 25 of which intercepted, with five landing in Israeli territory.

Though Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, the onslaught follows growing tensions with Iran.

An IDF spokesperson told reporters in late afternoon, that Israeli leaders will look into Hezbollah's involvement, although at this point the attacks appear to have been launched by Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The spokesperson also said that Israel is "checking Iranian involvement."

He said: "Hezbollah probably knew about the attack as it was in south Lebanon, and Lebanon has a responsibility. We are looking into Iranian involvement."

The statement probably point to Israeli reluctance to blame Hezbollah outright, since that would mean pressure to retaliate against the well-armed, Iran-backed group and a wider war on two fronts for Israel.

In 2023, Israel has launched at least ten attacks on Iranian facilities and infrastructure in Iran, including killing major figures in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Council.

Israel's Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, warned the perpetrators "not to test Israel" as the rockets rained down on Thursday, warning of a harsh response.

Iran's Press TV, the voice of the regime, tried to distance its largest proxy from the rocket exchange, attributing it to "Palestinian factions, not Hezbollah", stating it was "retaliatory attacks from Lebanon on Israel following the Israeli regime's forces' aggression on al-Aqsa Mosque".

Tensions in Israel have mounted over the last two days as Hamas members barricaded themselves into the holy Al Aqsa mosque, leading to violent confrontations with Israel Police.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was in Beirut meeting with counterparts at Hezbollah just hours before the strikes were launched from Hezbollah controlled territory, suggesting a coordinated effort by the militia groups which deem Israel at its weakest point in years.

Israel has been bitterly divided by internal political debate over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposed reforms, which have seen three months of mass protest. In echoes of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the barrage also came at the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover, when most of the country is at home with families.

Netanyahu has called a meeting of his top security advisors for an emergency session to take place Thursday evening, as the situation escalates across the border with Gaza, under Hamas control, Lebanon and at the Al Aqsa mosque.

The UN’s peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, had been told to take cover in shelters as the two sides traded blows while residents in northern Israel are currently in shelters.

Story developing

Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that a meeting of the two delegations took place and they issued a joint statement “on expanding relations and cooperation.”

Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed practical measures related to the re-opening of their embassies and consulates. They also exchanged views, Tasnim said, on “certain issues related to their bilateral relations,” without providing details.

Reuters reported that the two countries agreed to resume flights and bilateral visits of official and private sector delegations, in addition to facilitating visas for citizens, the statement said.

After years of hostility that fueled conflicts across the Middle East, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-open embassies in a major deal facilitated by China last month.

In brief footage broadcast on Iranian state TV on Thursday, bin Farhan and Amir-Abdollahian, greet each other before sitting down side by side.

In March, China's President Xi Jinping helped broker a surprise deal between regional rivals Tehran and Riyadh to end a seven-year rift and restore diplomatic ties - a display of China's growing influence in the region.

In March, Xi spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud about several issues.

Beijing's role in the breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh shook up dynamics in the Middle East, where the United States was for decades the main mediator.

Iran’s regime that is shunned by the West and isolated politically and under US sanctions has heralded the revival of ties with Riyadh as a significant victory and a defeat for the United States in the region.

Critics in the US have blamed the Biden Administration for pushing Saudi Arabia toward China and restoring relations with Iran, by pursuing the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and losing the trust of Saudi leaders as the great power in the region.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed by mob of hardliners supporters of the regime during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

The kingdom then asked Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours while it evacuated its embassy staff from Tehran.

The relationship began worsening a year earlier, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted a Saudi-backed government and took over the capital, Sanaa.

For Saudi Arabia, the deal could mean improved security. The kingdom has blamed Iran for arming the Houthis, who carried out missile and drone attacks on its cities and oil facilities.

In 2019, Riyadh blamed a massive attack on Aramco oil facilities, which knocked out half of its oil output, directly on the Islamic Republic. Tehran denied those allegations.

With reporting by Reuters

The meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, will be the first formal meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran's most senior diplomats in more than seven years.

After years of hostility that had fueled conflicts across the Middle East, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-open embassies in a major deal facilitated by China last month.

"The top envoys agreed to meet on April 6 in Beijing as the deal was facilitated by China," a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

Choosing China "came as an extension of Beijing's positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries," Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper cited an unidentified source in Riyadh as saying.

The resumption of relations and arrangements for the exchange of ambassadors will be discussed in the meeting, it added.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

The relationship had worsened since 2015, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted a Saudi-backed government and took over the capital Sanaa.

The kingdom has blamed Iran for arming the Houthis who carried out missile and drone attacks on its cities and oil facilities. Iran has denied the charge, although there is plenty of material evidence of Iranian weapons being used by Houthis.

With reporting by Reuters