Kayhan LondonKeyhan London editorial by Hamed Mohammadi
For the past 47 years, Hezbollah in Lebanon has been the Islamic Republic’s main lever against Israel. The killing of Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of commanders and forces affiliated with this group has reduced the field power of this terrorist group. International and regional pressure on the Islamic Republic has also reduced the regime’s financial support for this terrorist group, but it has not ended.
Simultaneously with the temporary ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic, as Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions in southern Beirut intensified, Abbas Araqchi announced, “Violating the ceasefire on one front means violating it on all fronts.” In fact, the government announced that if the action against Hezbollah continues, it will stop negotiations with the United States.
Some sources reported that after the US negotiations with the Islamic Republic were affected by Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah, there were differences of opinion between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Support for Hezbollah is part of the Islamic Republic’s DNA. Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of the Tehran-based Kayhan newspaper, claimed in an article that “Iran’s identity is the same as that of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis in Yemen.” The fact that the negotiations with the US were affected by Hezbollah’s resources drew criticism within the country, even among the regime’s staunchest supporters; for this reason, preachers, Friday prayer leaders, and state media outlets have tried to create arguments to insinuate the necessity of full-scale support for Hezbollah, especially when the regime’s survival depends on whether or not to reach an agreement with the US.
It is now generally argued that support for Hezbollah is to counter Israel’s goals of dividing Iran. In fact, the government’s propaganda machine justifies support for the Hezbollah militia group under the guise of “national interests.” However, many Hezbollah supporters believe that the Islamic Republic has abandoned them in the most difficult of circumstances.
One of the experts on the state-run Iranian Broadcasting Corporation said live on air, “Hezbollah is a shadow of Iran,” and warned, “If they are done with Hezbollah, they will come back to Iran.”
The Islamic Republic is trying to take Hezbollah’s interests into account in its negotiations with the United States, but it is unclear how successful they will be. The main issue is their “disarmament,” which the Iranian government does not agree with at all. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem says bluntly: “As long as the occupation continues, the resistance continues.”
Hezbollah is clinging to Iran like a leech. The salaries and benefits of many of the group’s commanders and infantry officers are higher than those of the Iranian military, but those who continue to help maintain the balance of power in the West and the region also support Hezbollah. Israel has chosen the right path; Confronting Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic simultaneously on two fronts, although difficult, is necessary.
