TEHRAN – A senior Lebanese political and military analyst, retired General Amine Mohammad Hoteit, says the U.S. wants to warn the resistance movement that there will be a war in the region but Israel is not prepared for a full-fledged war against Iran.

Noting that Israel cannot afford the cost of a total war, Mohammad Hoteit tells the Tehran Times that “Washington, through its recent moves, wants to imply that there was an upcoming war.”

Last Sunday the U.S. military sent nuclear-capable B-52H “Stratofortress” bombers to West Asia at short notice to deter what it calls aggression.

Just a few days after the announcement of the deployment of bombers in the region, prominent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated on Friday afternoon in a terrorist attack about 40 kilometers northeast of the capital Tehran. Israeli and U.S. spy services are considered the main culprit behind the assassination.

Mohammad Hoteit, also a university instructor and researcher, says, “We cannot imagine that Israel will continue to live without carrying out terrorist operations or assassinations.”

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: How do you evaluate the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh? What is Israel's record in assassinating scientific and political figures?

A: We were not surprised by the assassination operation on Friday. We expected, in this sensitive and delicate circumstance, and in recent days, that the Trump administration or Israel, or in coordination with each other, as a criminal bloc, would do a military adventure. It has been said more than once in articles and statements that Israel would provide an American green light on the assassination of scientific, political, or military leaders in the resistance axis in general and in Iran in particular.

Israel professionalizes criminal operations through assassination, and until now there are dozens of politicians and leaders who have been assassinated by Mossad because Israel follows the policy of treachery and terror to exist. So, we cannot imagine that Israel will continue to live without carrying out terrorist operations or assassinations.

The retired Brigadier General Amine Mohammad Hoteit says the assassination of Fakhrizadeh cannot cause a problem for Iran “firstly because Iran does not depend on one person in its nuclear program. Second, Iran is a country that has trained intellectuals, human and scientific talents.”

Q: Why is the international community silent in the face of the assassinations carried out by Israel?

A: Unfortunately, the so-called international community is directed by Western media and is under the financial and political control of the Zionist-American mainstream media. Therefore, Western countries, while legislating laws to pursuit anti-Semitism and any word or action against Israel, avoid condemning Israel when it commits crimes because the (international) community is a hostage of criminal elites.

Q: What is the reason for the recent moves by the U.S. and Israel in recent days, especially after Pompeo's visit to Saudi Arabia?

A: Washington, through its recent moves, wants to imply that there was an upcoming war, and this mobilization and operations that began with withdrawing troops from Iraq, the reduction of its forces to 2,500 in Afghanistan, and the pullout of its warships from the Persian Gulf in order to keep it away from the range of Iranian missiles and also sending the B52 bombers to West Asia, as well as Pompeo's tripartite meeting with bin-Salman and Benjamin Netanyahu, all of these shows that America wants to imply that there will be a war. That is to put the resistance axis under pressure.

But until this moment, we believe that war in the region is unlikely and that Israel and America know the danger of these kinds of decisions and are aware of the consequences of a total war.

Therefore, I believe that the alternative military action is an assassination operation, as happened, and the other option can be the bombing of some military sites in both Syria and Iraq.

Q: Can the assassination cause a problem for Iran’s nuclear program?

A: I do not believe that the assassination will lead to a cessation of the Iranian nuclear program. Firstly, because Iran does not depend on one person in its nuclear program. Second, Iran is a country that has brought up intellectuals, human and scientific talents.

So, despite the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, Iran can bring more than one scientist and leader. I believe that the assassination operation will not achieve its goals. It is true that this act caused pain and sorrow, but Israel cannot say it has stopped Iran’s nuclear progress through assassination. 

Q: Do you think that America is ready to engage in a regional war?

A: I do not think that America is ready for a blitzkrieg, because this kind of war has its own characteristics, and at this time the characteristics are not available. Israel and America can fire the first shot, but they cannot control the end of the game. Since Israel cannot afford the cost of a total war, I rule out the occurrence of an all-out war.

In my point of view, the criminal behavior of Israel and America will be limited to two types of operations: assassination operations and the bombing of military sites in both Iraq and Syria.