Perhaps six decades ago, when the Arab-Israeli war was coming to an end, nobody could have imagined that the seemingly invincible army of Israel would see these days. Days when almost every corner of the occupied territories is turned into a resistance front against the regime. The yearning desire to stand against the callous occupiers have now even reached the occupied West Bank.

This is a claim made by not only Iran but many others who have been following the developments in the occupied territories closely.

Israeli media never misses a day to make warnings about the dangers Iran poses to the Israeli regime. Dan Diker, the president of the Jerusalem Center for Public affairs, published a thorough report on the Jewish New Syndicate (JSN) on July 3rd warning that Iran’s growing footprint has now reached the borders of Israel and that the grueling military capabilities of Iran are now directly pointed at the regime.

Diker brought up the Leader of Iran’s Islamic revolution’s latest remarks about the significance of arming the West Bank against Israel. He argued that Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments show the latest conflicts in the occupied territories are wrongly being compared to a second Intifada. In his opinion “Iran’s proxy wars” in the occupied territories are now mainly responsible for Israel’s chronic situation. 

“This is not Intifada. This is a war that has been planned by Iran and is now starting from the northern Samarian hills,” Diker wrote.

The report by JNS also claims that Iran has encircled Israel from three different directions. The first front lies in Gaza where resistance groups are being backed by Iran. The second front is preparing to fight Israel from Lebanon and Syria. This includes Hezbollah which has been posing a great threat to the interests and security of the Israeli regime. Lastly, the writer believes the third front against Israel is being strengthened inside Israeli cities along the Mediterranean Sea.

Based on this report up until recently, Iran’s moves and plans were only limited to helping resistance in the first two fronts. But since Iran’s Leader’s comments about the need for new resistance forces in other areas, the country has stepped up support for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The report also claims that there is no way the Israeli military would allow Iran to move on with its plans. 

It is necessary to elaborate on some of the points mentioned in the JNS report.

Since the 33-day war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement came to an end in August 2006, Iran has been showing open support for the Palestinian resistance movement. Iranian officials have made it clear time and again that resistance forces in both the 33-day war and the 2008-2009 Gaza war, the conflicts that finally changed power dynamics in favor of Muslims after several decades, were only able to emerge victorious against Israel thanks to Tehran’s support. 

Dignitaries in Tehran have repeatedly announced that they would back any entity against Israel. Iran has never been hesitant in wording its fierce opposition against the regime. It has also never denied that it is strengthening resistance forces to fight Israel. Therefore, the report by JNS can be seen as a fearful reaction from the regime. It is yet another attempt by Israel to posture as the victim. 

We must take into account that Israel uses the phrase “wipe out the regime”, that was intentionally distorted and taken out of context, as a tool to garner support in every international summit or meeting that its officials attend. Despite such commotions, Iran has not backed down on its support for the Palestinians to liberate their stolen lands.

Iran’s strong opposition to Israel is not just to push the occupiers out of the Palestinian lands. The Palestinian cause entails two types of obligations for Iran: material and spiritual.

Why does Iran have the right to counter Israel?

In recent years the Israeli regime has gone great lengths to incite insecurity inside Iran. That includes the regime’s repeated attacks on Iranian positions in Syria as well as organized assassinations of prominent Iranian figures. The regime has used groups trained inside

Israel to carry out assassinations on a number of nuclear scientists inside Iran. The killings have harmed Iran. The assassination of scientists can never be forgotten.

Several attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites are other examples of Israeli attempts to bring insecurity to Iran. The regime has also proceeded to fund a number of anti-Iran terror groups along the north-western and western borders of the Islamic Republic. Israel has also led the so-called “maxim pressure” campaign as well as a heavy media propaganda against Iran. Therefore, apart from Iran’s regard for human rights and its Islamic values, the country has an obligation to counter Israel as many of the regime’s threats are directly aimed at Tehran. Under such circumstances Iran is left with only two options.

First is to allow Israel to bring insecurity alongside Iranian borders and continue with its sabotage and assassination campaigns. The other option is to pile up pressure on Israel and change the course of the game. Iran has made a logical and realistic decision and opted for bringing the war inside the occupied Palestinian territories. 

In this regard Iran tries to respond to Israeli aggression and provocations by boosting the power of resistance groups in Gaza as well as the occupied territories, a move that has caused Israel to become convulsed with numerous political and security issues. An increase in the number and power of resistance forces active against Israel, who apart from Gaza are now scattered across the Palestinian lands, might be the only way out of the current situation that has been created by the policies of this terrorist regime. 

Israel will only dig a deeper grave for itself if it decides to pin the entire blame on Iran and chooses to ignore the mass disquiet among Palestinians who are increasingly being saddled by the regime’s atrocities.