TEHRAN- On August 2, 2024, Newsweek published an article titled “Israel Reestablished Deterrence. It Should be Praised, Not Admonished” by Arsen Ostrovsky and John Spencer. The following points will discuss the content of this article.

Over the past decades and since the establishment of the Zionist regime, Western media have faced challenges in maintaining their reputation. On one hand, the occupation and numerous crimes of this regime have been undeniable, and on the other hand, what has kept these media outlets afloat is the substantial budget flowing from Zionist capitalists, making it impossible for them to present accurate narratives.

After the daily killing and abduction of Palestinians in all the past years, for the first time on October 7, the Zionists felt real insecurity in their territory. Consequently, Western media set aside their masks and, by trampling on the most basic media principles, openly supported Zionist terrorism. They did not retreat from these positions despite ten months of brutal massacres of children and civilians and the commission of genocide by the Zionist regime. The August 2 article in Newsweek is an example of a note published in a well-known Western media outlet, in which the authors shamelessly continued to praise and support terrorism, a path that their country's politicians have taken against the Palestinian people throughout these years. 

The authors of this Newsweek note, referring to the assassination of the martyrs Haniyeh and Shukr, write: “The elimination of these arch-terrorists and murderers was entirely legal, just, and moral. The world today is a safer place without them and Israel ought to congratulate for their elimination.” They describe the operation to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh as “daring, audacious, and brilliantly executed.” 

What is clear is that the Zionist regime's assassination squads have destroyed a part of the intellect of these two writers who are capable of understanding words like law, justice, and morality!

The writers also state: “In the last 72 hours, Israel not only regained its deterrence, but has taken it to a new level, with the potential to permanently alter the landscape of the Middle East.”

 It seems that the writers are enthusiastic about these assassination operations. They claim that Israel has regained its deterrence and taken it to a new level, where attacks on Israeli soil in response to the brutality of this regime are now a routine news item for followers. The imminent response of the Axis of Resistance to these assassinations - following similar attacks carried out against the Zionist regime in April 2024 - will once again change the strategic equations of the region and make attacks on occupied lands a normal and enforceable matter.

In another part of the text, the writers claim that: “Israel's renewed deterrence can also have a positive impact on the hostage negotiations. Although there will be some uncertainty with respect to the negotiations in the short-term, in the medium term, it should place greater pressure on Hamas to accept a deal.” Only the Zionist regime can simultaneously sit at the negotiating table and kill sixty members of the negotiator's family (including children and grandchildren) and then, kill him who traveled to another country officially and with a diplomatic title, and then think about continuing the negotiation. Such a form of negotiation probably did not exist even in barbarian societies, and barbarians also realized that saving the negotiator's life is one of the basic principles of negotiation.

The writers also state: “There is no denying that Hamas has been utterly decimated and embarrassed. Their leadership is destroyed, its military dismantled into a fraction of its former self, and Sinwar has never been so isolated.” The writers actually write as if it is the first time that an assassination has occurred at the level of the leaders of resistance movements. The assassination of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Martyr Seyyed Abbas Mousavi is just two of the thousands of assassinations committed by this regime. Also, about 30 hours after the Tehran assassination, the Leader of Iran and other top resistance officials held a memorial procession for Ismail Haniyeh in the center of Tehran, with the presence of hundreds of thousands of people, without any concern for their own security. In reality, the news of another assassination by the Zionist regime did not come as a surprise to many, but it deeply saddened supporters of anti-occupation resistance.

 It is worth noting that the Zionist regime's history of assassinations predates its formation, and instead of diplomats or politicians, this regime employs trained terrorists who engage in activities beyond mere killings. With substantial financial resources and ongoing support from Western nations, the assassination apparatus of this regime conducts its operations, and anyone who takes a step to fight against the Zionist occupiers prepares themselves to confront these murderers.

The authors conclude: “Israel's audacious targeted operations this past week only underscore that the path to stability in the region and return of the hostages, will come from renewed Israeli deterrence and strength.” In fact, the Zionist regime has found itself in a defensive stance following the assassination, repeatedly reaching out to its allies for assistance in safeguarding its territory. While the Zionists themselves know well that they will pay the price for the assassinations they have committed, talk of deterrence is meaningless. It is noteworthy to mention the words of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, in response to the assassinations in Beirut and Tehran: Be a little happy and smile; soon you will cry a lot.