New York Times: Khamenei asked the Revolutionary Guards and allies in the region to prepare for war against Israel
After weeks of talk about an imminent Israeli attack on Iran, press reports indicate that the Persian state’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its allies in the region to prepare for war—despite his desire to avoid it—depending on the scope of Israeli attacks.
The New York Times reported that officials from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards informed it that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued a series of directives on how Iran should respond to the expected Israeli attack, based on its scope.
Officials indicated that Iran takes into account the size and type of the attack and its material and human effects.
If the strike is limited, such as targeting a number of military bases or missile or drone storage depots, Iran may turn a blind eye to the attack.
However, if the attack results in significant human and material losses, or targets infrastructure, oil and energy facilities, or nuclear reactors, or assassinates prominent figures, as Israel has hinted, then there is no room for turning a blind eye.
Officials also reported that Iran is prepared to launch more than a thousand ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv, in addition to uniting fronts in the region.
Although Iran still prefers not to enter into a direct war, Israel’s transgressions in the region, such as carrying out a series of security assassinations, cannot be ignored, such as the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the heart of Iran, and the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in a raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In a media briefing during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that the Iranian response “will be appropriate and calculated”.
In this context, Tehran realizes that entering into a direct war with Tel Aviv could be costly to its strategic interests in the region.
Iran is also taking into account the possibility of “reactivating armed extremist groups such as ISIS” in Iraq and Syria if the country enters into war, according to statements by officials in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
