Most Iranians back retaliation against Israel, even if it leads to war, says IRGC official

In a meeting with religious eulogizers on Sunday, Khamenei addressed what he described as "absurd statements from Western and Israeli officials," dismissing the notion that Iran’s regional influence is based on the use of proxy forces.

"They constantly say that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region! This is another mistake! The Islamic Republic does not have proxy forces. Yemen fights because of its faith; Hezbollah fights because its faith gives it strength to fight; Hamas and Jihad fight because their beliefs compel them to do so," Khamenei said.

"They do not act as our proxies. If one day we want to take action, we will not need any proxy forces."

Khamenei's comments come amid ongoing tensions surrounding Iran’s involvement in regional conflicts, particularly in Syria, where Tehran used militias for many years to further its geopolitical interests but to no avail.

Iran has labeled the Lebanese Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis, the Assad government and a hodgepodge of paramilitary groups in Iraq as the "Resistance Front," and began to speak more directly of a united front since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. In September, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “The government’s policy is to provide unlimited support to the resistance. We will support the resistance front, which has established itself as a reality in the region. The regime [Israel] has so far failed to achieve its main goal of destroying Hamas.”

The commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, said in May, that Iran has humiliated Israel by organizing the 'Islamic resistance.' “At this point, Israel has reached a level of humiliation that it has surrounded itself with barbed wire and radars to prevent infiltration,” Qaani told a gathering of young clerics.

Iran’s involvement in Syria has been one of its most significant and costly regional ventures. The Islamic Republic invested between $30 and $50 billion in financial and military support to sustain the government of Bashar al-Assad who was overthrown by the armed groups and fled to Russia this month.

Iran's aid included sending elite military units, weapons, and advisers to help counter rebel factions. This support was not only about military might but also tied to Tehran's strategic interests, particularly maintaining influence in the Levant and ensuring the continuity of the Axis of Resistance — a network of allies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.

Khamenei also warned that those within Iran who align themselves with foreign powers, particularly the United States, would face severe consequences.

"The fools smell the scent of kebab," Khamenei quipped, using a metaphor to describe what he sees as misguided ambitions from those in Iran seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic. "Anyone inside the country who chooses to serve the Americans, the Iranian people will trample them underfoot."

Syria’s future: Khamenei’s optimism amid setbacks

Turning to Syria, Khamenei expressed confidence in the resilience of the Syrian people, despite the fall of his long-time ally Bashar al-Assad. He predicted that a group would rise to lead Syria out of its instability.

"The young Syrian has nothing to lose. His university is unsafe, his school is unsafe, his home is unsafe, his street is unsafe, his life is unsafe. What should he do? He must stand strong and determined against those who designed this insecurity and those who implemented it, and God willing, he will triumph over them," Khamenei said.

Despite the dire picture painted by Khamenei, there have been no reports of major incidents in Syria since the current leadership took control in Damascus, except tensions between Turkish-back forces and Kurds in the north.

Despite Iran’s immense efforts to secure Assad’s government, the situation in Syria remains precarious after his fall with the rise to power of armed groups who say are going to establish a democratic government in Syria.

Iran has faced significant setbacks in recent years, not only in Syria but also through its proxy networks. Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have faced challenges, and the broader Middle East continues to see shifting alliances and power dynamics.

Despite these challenges, Khamenei expressed optimism for the future of Syria and the region, saying, "The future of the region will be better than today, by the grace of God."

Khamenei's remarks come at a pivotal moment for Iran, as the country faces mounting pressure from both regional and global powers, particularly the United States and Israel. His speech reflects Tehran's continued defiance of foreign influence, especially in Syria.

"They keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxies in the region. This is another falsehood. The Islamic Republic does not have proxies. Yemen is fighting because of its faith. Hezbollah fights because its faith-driven power brings it to the battlefield. Hamas and Islamic Jihad fight because their beliefs make them to do so. They do not act as our proxies. If we ever decide to act, we do not need proxies,” Khamenei said addressing a group of eulogists at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Hussainiya.

Khamenei’s remarks come on the backdrop of significant losses by Iran-backed armed groups across the region over the past year. In September, a precision Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several senior commanders.

Israeli military sources estimate that around 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since October 2023, while Reuters reports the figure could be as high as 4,000.
Meanwhile, Hamas has also faced significant challenges in Gaza. Over a year of Israeli bombardment has caused severe damage to the group’s infrastructure, reportedly killing more than 17,000 operatives since last year’s offensive began, according to Israeli military sources.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was the latest serious blow to Tehran’s regional influence.

Israel launched a large-scale air attack against Iran in October, devastating its air defenses and several military installations without encountering any serious defense or retaliation.

“Iran will have no role whatsoever, and it shouldn’t, frankly. Iran’s had decades now of the most predatory and destructive behavior and presence in Syria, and during the war itself, of course, mustered foreign militias, its own IRGC forces, Hezbollah fighters, and really preyed upon and really viciously brutalized the Syrian people. So, it’s hard for me to imagine Iran having any role whatsoever. Why should it?”

Leaf contrasted Iran’s influence with Turkey's role as a neighboring country, stressing the US goal of fostering a stable and sovereign Syria free from external manipulation and criminal activities.

“Türkiye obviously has a very sizable role. It has sizable influence. It has, historically, and it’s a neighboring state, and it has national security interests and all sorts of other interests,” she added.

The remarks align with comments by Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Syria’s opposition group Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that his faction had ended Iran’s foothold in the region.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group recently helped topple forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, said: “Syria’s opposition has set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years.” He added, “By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian defended Tehran’s extensive expenditures in Syria. Speaking to a state-linked publication on Friday, Ahmadian justified the financial and military support for Assad’s government, estimated to have reached $30–50 billion over the past decade.

“We have no regrets about the costs incurred in Syria because our presence and expenses were for our own security,” Ahmadian said. He emphasized that Iran’s involvement was not meant to replace the Syrian army but to bolster an ally vital to Iranian interests.

Iran maintained a significant military presence in Syria, primarily supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Tehran provided financial aid, weapons, and military advisers, alongside the deployment of its own forces and allied militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and various Iraqi and Afghan groups. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) played a central role in Iran's military operations in Syria, overseeing both direct combat and logistical support. Iran's military expenditure in Syria include funding for military operations, and the training of local forces aligned with Assad.

With Leaf’s candid critique of Iran and Sharaa’s proclamation of a major victory against Tehran’s influence, the country seems to be charting a new course.

"The incidents show how the war between Israel and Iran’s proxies across the Middle East is also driving Tehran to escalate its covert operations in Europe — and that is rattling governments already concerned that the conflict is stirring tension between communities divided over immigration," the report said.

Incidents include a 15-year-old in Stockholm taking a taxi with a loaded gun heading toward the Israeli embassy and a 13-year-old in Gothenburg shooting at the offices of the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.

This fall, Swedish and Norwegian security agencies warned of Iranian-backed operations. In response, Norway temporarily raised its terror alert to high in October, armed its police, and introduced border controls with Sweden.

In early October, Iran International exclusively reported that Tehran enlisted criminals to carry out armed attacks on Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen, coinciding with its extensive missile barrage against Israel, according to a Swedish police source and another informed source.

Shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm that same week, followed by two explosions near Israel’s embassy in central Copenhagen in the early hours of Wednesday. No injuries were reported.

Two Swedish teenagers, aged 16 and 19, were later arrested in connection with the incidents. Authorities did not immediately release details about their identities. A Swedish police source told Iran International that evidence found during the preliminary investigation pointed to the Islamic Republic’s involvement.

Earlier, in May, Swedish authorities arrested two teenage boys, aged 14 and 15, after a shooting near the Israeli embassy. At the time, Sweden’s intelligence agency accused Tehran of recruiting gang members to attack Israeli interests in the country.

A Swedish insider speaking to Iran International stated that investigations revealed the group behind the May attack was also “directed by agents linked to the Islamic Republic.”

According to separate statements last year by Säpo (Sweden’s intelligence agency) and Mossad, the Swedish criminal group Foxtrot was among those recruited by Tehran. The group, led by Rawa Majid, a Swedish citizen of Kurdish origin allegedly detained in Iran, is conducting sabotage operations on behalf of Tehran.

The Islamic Republic has never acknowledged recruiting criminals for operations outside its borders, yet its leaders have repeatedly expressed support for attacks on Israeli interests globally.

Esmaeil Baghaei said that Davood Bitaraf was killed by "terrorists" and added that the Syrian transitional government is responsible for "identifying, prosecuting, and punishing the perpetrators of this crime."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seriously pursuing the matter through appropriate channels and various diplomatic and international avenues," Baghaei added.

In an interview published Friday, Syria's de facto new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said Iran’s influence in the region has been significantly diminished following the fall of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad. The interview with Asharq Al-Awsat comes after Sharaa's radical Sunni Islamist group, Hayat al-Tahrir Sham (HTS), swiftly defeated Assad's forces this month.

Sharaa said that Syria's opposition had “set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years,” signaling a major shift in Syria’s stance toward Iran.

“By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses,” he said.

Iran's Islamic government has been shaken by recent developments in Syria, where it had supported Assad's regime since anti-government protests began in 2011. Its withdrawal from Syria follows setbacks faced by its other ally, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.