The assassination of General Hassan Zahedi Mahdawi near the Iranian embassy in Damascus is proving to be one of the most brilliant moves attributed to Israel in recent years. This event forced Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, into a confrontation on Israel’s terms. It represents a de facto strategic shift, allowing Israel to showcase its defensive capabilities against Iran’s boastful threats to use its formidable missile arsenal. For the first time, Israel gained unprecedented legitimacy to deliver a powerful retaliatory strike deep within Iran’s vast territory.
Israel had long sought such a casus belli ever since Iran began building its so-called “Empire of Evil,” ambitiously and shamelessly aiming to make Jerusalem the hub of the envisioned Shia Empire. Ayatollah Khomeini, the first leader of the Islamic Republic, laid the foundation for this Shiite empire by declaring that the last Friday of Ramadan be marked as “Al-Quds Day”—a day dedicated to the liberation of Jerusalem from Zionist-Western control and its return to “Dar al-Islam (the House of Islam).”
Khomeini aimed to position Iran as the leader of Islamic nations, especially after Egypt’s perceived betrayal of the Palestinian cause and the vision expressed at the 1967 Khartoum Conference to fight Israel and the Zionist regime to the bitter end. In fact, Khomeini declared that the path to Jerusalem goes through Karbala, one of the holy Shiite cities where Imam Hussein, the founder of Shiism, is buried.
Hussein was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Shiites regard Hussein as the rightful Imam and the Caliph, whose role as the Prophet’s successor was unjustly usurped. This perspective extends to their view of the first three Sunni Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Uthman ibn Affan. Despite being considered non-Muslims by Sunni leaders for over a millennium, Shiites have found a way to win the hearts of Muslims.
Bombing Al-Aqsa
Khomeini’s public statements imply that to eradicate Western imperialism from the Middle East, the region must become Shiite. Karbala in Iraq exemplifies the view that Sunni-ruled states should convert to the true Shiite path, and Jerusalem is the symbol around which the goal of uniting the Arab world under Shiite rule will be achieved. In fact, the unification of all Arab nations around the noble goal of liberating Jerusalem is intended to turn the Middle East into an area of Iranian influence. It is important to note that Shiite Iran does not hold religious loyalty towards Jerusalem, as Jerusalem is not sacred according to Shiite belief, however illogical that may sound. This is strongly supported by the fact that Iran attacked Jerusalem with dozens of missiles, which could have destroyed the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The missiles were aimed at targeting the hated symbols of Israeli rule.
Faithful to the vision of their leader Khomeini, the Revolutionary Guards, led mostly by Qassem Soleimani, have worked for many years to achieve this goal. They have infiltrated countries surrounding Israel: Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and even Yemen, Sudan, and other places, exploiting the geopolitical situation and the challenges of the time. They capitalized on events such as the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the rise of ISIS, and the civil wars in Syria and Lebanon. The Shiite influence ring achieved over the past decades is comparable in scale only to the influence the Persians had during the empire of Cyrus and his successors. Were it not for the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, which some see as a reckless move by Hamas leaders, it is likely that more places would have come under Iran’s influence, including the West Bank and other areas.
Jordan Has Reasons to Worry
The assassination of Mahdawi led Iran to act recklessly in avenging the death of one of the most important figures in the Revolutionary Guards and one of the closest to the Supreme Leader. Iran acted impulsively rather than strategically, which is likely the brilliant goal behind the move attributed to Israel. The actions Iran took from the moment of the assassination to the missile attack it launched were detected by the radar of the American coalition forces and their allies in the region, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, who assisted in thwarting the massive attack on Israel.
In reality, the Iranian missiles did not penetrate Israel’s extensive defense system, which intercepted them with the help of the air forces of Britain, the United States, France, and Jordan. Jordan has been watching the regional changes with concern in recent years, including the influx of millions of refugees from Syria and Iraq into its territory, altering its demographic balance. Simultaneously, two other significant changes occurred nearby: the rise of fundamentalist Islamic loyalists, particularly in the south of the country, and the stationing of Shiite military units loyal to Iran from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and other places near its borders. The last thing the Jordanian monarchy wants is to become an Iranian protectorate, similar to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
These changes and actions led Jordan to take an active role in countering the Iranian attack. The Jordanian Air Force’s actions on that day can be explained by the economic and security opportunities inherent in the peace accord between Israel and Jordan, as well as the alliance with the United States and the West. These factors aim to safeguard the monarchy from Sunni fundamentalist Islam’s grasp and its potential transformation into a religious theocracy, while also providing protection against Shiite Iranian domination.
The Price of Iran’s Recklessness
Iran, driven by its desire for revenge, fell victim to its own schemes and got caught in the trap it set for Israel. The arrogance it displayed in managing the intense axis it established alarmed the regional countries and pushed them into the arms of Israel, which is seen as the frontline against Iran and its proxies.
Iran has already promised that any country aiding Israel and harming its interests will suffer consequences, no matter who they are. This likely explains why the United States publicly declared that its military would not join an Israeli attack against Iran. Who would have believed that the U.S. would fear Iran and engage only in defensive actions on behalf of its closest ally?
An American security official stated that U.S. bases near Iran represent America’s Achilles’ heel in the region. It seems that the global superpower, which once fought for economic and political hegemony in the area and showcased its absolute military power, has changed its policy. The nation, who’s strength once afforded it control of the region, has become a retreating power, especially under President Biden’s administration.
Israel is stepping into the vacuum created, as a state determined to sever the Iranian octopus arms threatening to strangle it. Arm by arm, Israel addresses these threats, both openly and covertly. Hamas, fueled by Iran and its ally Qatar, has been severely damaged; Hezbollah is suffering significant blows, and Iran’s foothold in eastern Syria and Iraq is constantly being undermined. In addition, Israel conducts covert operations in Iran, including assassinations of key figures and the destruction of critical infrastructure and weapon factories. This is alongside numerous cyber operations worldwide.
A Paper Tiger
Iran’s failure to penetrate Israel’s defense array in this bold attack, and the minimal damage caused by the missile strike, alongside the strength of the broad alliance formed against it, signify a drastic shift in reality. Iran’s repeated threats to severely punish Israel, especially given their lack of follow-through over recent years, portray the Ayatollah regime as a paper tiger. Iran has been exposed and has become a subject of ridicule among the regional nations and even among regime opponents within Iran itself. Israel is now closer than ever to Netanyahu’s goal of striking at the heart of the Iranian threat. The recent extensive attacks on Lebanon have rendered Iran’s support a broken reed for Hezbollah. These attacks could provoke Hezbollah into a rash move, leading to a bloody war aimed at dismantling the terrorist organization’s core capabilities and removing the most significant threat from Israel’s border.
Israel is in a position to incite and mobilize the Arab peoples suffering under the grip of Iranian terror. Now is the time for propaganda targeting the Christians and Sunnis in Lebanon, the Sunnis in Syria, the Kurds in Iraq, freedom seekers in Iran, and others ensnared by the Iranian terror network. This is the moment to sharpen messages to every free country in the world. This is the hour for public diplomacy. This is the time to make Iran sweat in fear of an imminent Israeli attack on the Shiite axis members, prompting Iran to take more reckless actions that will further tarnish its image globally.
Clash of Civilizations
There has never been a more fitting time for Samuel Huntington’s term “clash of civilizations” than today. This is the hour of conflict between the axis of subjugation and the axis of prosperity. It is a clash between the radical Islamic world with its two snake heads: Shiite Iran and Sunni Qatar, and the economically progressive nations in the region, led by Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Before our eyes, two rival axes are taking shape. On one side, we have the axis of evil comprising Iran and the Shiite states it has created: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Houthi-controlled Yemen, supported by fundamentalist Sunni Islamic countries like Qatar, Turkey, and Algeria, as well as Hamas in Gaza. In the broader sphere, we also see the former Eastern alliance led by Russia, China, and North Korea.
On the other side, we have the axis of prosperity consisting of the Abraham Accords nations led by the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, alongside India and the Western countries.
However, there is a thorn in the side of Israel’s bloc. The Iranian Ayatollah regime represents a government that believes in an apocalyptic war between light and darkness. The Shiites genuinely believe in an ultimate battle between the followers of Shia Islam and the rest of the world, which will culminate in the destruction of the infidel world and its devastation, leading to the appearance of the Mahdi—the awaited leader who will bring salvation to the world.
This is not an empty slogan or the hope of delusional people. It is at the core of Shiite belief, centered on purifying Islam from those who believe in the caliphate of the three righteous Sunni caliphs: Abu Bakr, Uthman, and Umar, and fighting the global infidelity emanating from Jews and Christians. To fulfill this belief, the Ayatollah regime is willing to sacrifice the various arms it has painstakingly built. This crucial mission falls upon the religious Shia leader of the generation, perceived as a person free from human error and acting with divine guidance. In our generation, this leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It is not without reason that someone acting irrationally is colloquially called “Shiite.” “Are you Shiite?!” is asked of someone performing illogical actions, especially those that might lead to their demise.
The invention of suicide attacks dates back to the 13th century with the Hashashin, a sect of the Shiite Ismailis. Some believe the term “assassinate” in Latin preserves their name. This tradition was revived by Shiite militants of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Since then, members of fundamentalist Sunni Islamic movements such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda have also adopted these tactics, receiving religious approvals from prominent clerics like She