Who will be the next? The question was raised after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a shocking manner during an Israeli airstrike on September 27, 2024 in Beirut. The Government of Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu answered the question on October 2 (2024), confirming that the next target of Tel Aviv was Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei! Earlier, Israeli news outlet Channel 12 reported that Nasrallah might have suffocated from toxic gases inside his secret bunker in the Lebanese capital after it was demolished by 80 tonnes of bunker-busting bombs.

The State Television of Israel broadcast a statement issued by the Defence Ministry according to which the Jewish Nation would target the Ayatollah in response to the Iranian missile attacks on Israel. On October 1, the Islamic Republic launched a salvo of about 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli defence targets (its largest ever such attack), sending sirens blaring across Israel and activating the country’s sophisticated defensive systems!

Since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, 2023, Tehran has directly backed the Palestinian Movement. Iran also virtually controls Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and armed group. Incidentally, the Ayatollah himself handed over Fatah-2 missiles to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGCASF), the strategic air, space and missile force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in November 2023 after the beginning of Israeli offensive on the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Although the Israeli Army has claimed that the 1,400km-range Iranian missiles failed to make a dent in the air defence system of the Jewish Nation, it is believed that the Iranian strike has claimed many lives.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the followers of Islam across the globe to unite and “stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah” immediately after the demise of Nasrallah in the Israeli air strike. He stressed: “The Zionist criminals need to know that they are far too weak to be able to inflict any significant damage on the solid structure of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The massacre of the defenceless people in Lebanon once again… proved the short-sighted and stupid policy of the leaders of the usurping regime.”

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned Israel following the IRGC missile attacks on the heart of the occupied territories. “Netanyahu should know that Iran is not belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat,” he said in a statement issued after the attack on Israel to avenge the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah.

President Pezeshkian wrote on his X account: “Based on legitimate rights and with the aim of peace and security for Iran and the region, a decisive response was given to the aggression of the Zionist Regime. This action was in defence of the interests and citizens of Iran.” The Iranian President clarified that Prime Minister Netanyahu should know “this is only a corner of our power“. “Do not enter into a conflict with Iran,” he added.

Israel Declares UN Chief Persona Non Grata
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres‘ entry into Israel has been banned over his failure to “unequivocally condemn” Iran’s massive missile attack on the country, said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. He also said: “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.“

With inputs from ARY News & India Today.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das