They can just do that now?
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, state television said. “All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world’s pious people are obliged to defend the defenseless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible. Whoever is killed in this legitimate defense is considered a martyr,” state television quoted Khamenei as saying in a statement outlining the fatwa. Khamenei also criticized some Arab governments for their “encouraging silence” towards the Israel’s raids on Gaza… ” the religious leader said.
Well he’s not totally wrong about that last part. But the rest of it seems kind of grandiose, no? You can understand why the Iranians are nervous though. A lot of this is their fault:
Hizbullah is an Iranian creation. Hamas is not. But it has drawn itself increasingly into Iran’s orbit. Much of its imported weaponry, and the expertise with which it now produces and refines its own rockets, have been provided by Iran. Dozens of its commanders have been trained in Iran in recent years, coming home and disseminating that “education” as Hamas has built an army in Gaza. And, increasingly too, Hamas has come to act in the service of Iran’s aims… What is not yet clear… is whether the official [Israeli] spokespeople have internalized the necessity to highlight Iran in their message to the world – Iran, the state champion and major enabler of Hamas’s terror-state in Gaza. Iran is inspiring, funding, arming and training Hamas. Iran is avowedly committed to Israel’s destruction, and regards Hamas as a tool toward this goal.
If Israel does dismantle their proxy in front of a global audience at least the Iranians can take solace in knowing that they still control Lebanon and might well have nukes in the next few months.
References:
* Iran orders Muslims to defend Palestinians [YNet]
* Palestinian Authority, Arab Countries: Of Course This Is Hamas’s Fault [MR]
* Analysis: Don’t forget the Iranian connection [JPost]
* Iran Takes Over Hezbollah After Hezbollah Takes Over Lebanon (Plus: State Department Naturally Urging Israel To Cede More Land… To Hezbollah) [MR]
* IAEA: Iran Could Have A Nuclear Bomb–In Months [Daled Amos]
Previously:
* Great News: Russia To Sell Cutting Edge Anti-Aircraft Missiles To Iran (Plus: Iranian Navy Doubles Down)
* EU Parliament Sharply Accelerating Capitulationist Agenda
* So… When Does Hezbollah Get Involved? (Plus: Why Egypt Will Stay Out) (UPDATE: Or Not)
