TEHRAN - The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Monday hailed the Hamas resistance group’s surprise attack on Israel as the “first step” of the Israeli regime’s imminent collapse. 

On September 7th, Hamas carried out a massive operation inside the occupied territories while thousands of Palestinian rockets were fired at Israeli positions. 

“Today, the Zionist regime, according to everyone's admission, not only suffered defeat but also humiliation, and Hamas alone, without relying on any other power, has inflicted a major defeat on them,” said Hossein Salami during an IRGC gathering. 

He added that Israel is not likely to be able to restore its dignity and bring back the illusion of invincibility it has largely been relying on in the past decades. “The Israeli hegemony has collapsed with Hamas's operation and the true weakness of it has become evident to everyone. Today, the fake identity of the Zionist regime has been shattered and nothing remains of it except an empty shell,” he added.

Salami also addressed Israel’s relentless bombardment of civilian sites in the besieged Gaza Strip, saying the regime will not be able to put on a show of power through the killing of innocent children. 

Almost 3000 people have so far been killed by Israeli fire. Hundreds of Palestinian children are among the dead, as fear grows the situation could largely deteriorate due to a “full siege” on Gaza. Medics have warned that once the territory is out of electricity, hospitals in Gaza will turn into morgues. Water and food are also becoming increasingly scarce with the regime not allowing humanitarian aid inside the enclave. 

“Last year, all the arrogance front came to the field to confront the Islamic Revolution and by divine grace, they did not succeed, but this year, they cannot even cover up the great and humiliating defeat of the Zionists,” Salami stressed.

 “The Revolutionary Guards as the guardians and protectors of the Islamic Revolution are at the forefront of the fight against the arrogance front and have provided opportunities in all fields for confronting and neutralizing the conspiracies of enemies and serving the compatriots. Building a powerful defense is the responsibility of Iran’s armed forces.”

The commander also explained that the recent Palestinian offensive against Israel, though was only limited to the occupied territories, will have an outreaching effect and change the entire West Asia region. 

MHA/PA