Israel Awaits Iran’s Revenge

The Israeli assassination of senior Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Brigade General Seyed Razi Mousavi has raised tensions in the Middle East and brought the region closer to a dangerous confrontation.

Mousavi was killed on December 25 when a strike attributed to Israel hit his home in the town of Set Zaynab to the south of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The IRGC revealed that Mousavi was in charge of providing “logistical support to the Axis of Resistance in Syria.” It also said that the commander was a close “companion” of late Quds Force commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States in Iraq around four years ago.

Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency described Mousavi as one of the “most experienced advisors” of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force.

Senior Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Rasi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, have vowed revenge for Mousavi’s death.

The assassination of Mousavi was also condemned by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen, the Palestinian Hamas Movement, the Syrian government and many other sides.

Asked on December 26 about the assassination of Mousavi, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi declined to comment but said Israeli forces work throughout the region.

An IRGC spokesman said on December 27 that Israel targeted Mousavi due to the “irreparable defeats” it suffered following the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.

The spokesman, Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, also vowed that Israel will face a “harsh revenge” from Iran and its allies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance.”

Hezbollah has already intensified operation against Israel from Lebanon, carrying out 23 attacks with rockets, guided missiles and suicide drones between December 25 and 27. The Houthis also launched a large-scale drone attack against the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat on December 26.

In addition, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed factions, attacked the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights with a suicide drone for the first time ever on December 27.

How the IRGC will respond to the assassination of Mousavi is still unclear. However, a direct attack with missiles and drone against Israel remains highly unlikely as it could trigger a dangerous confrontation in the Middle East. Israel may be trying to drag Iran into a direct conflict in order to make up for its inability to win the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Mirrored - South Front