Netanyahu Crossing the Red Lines: Will Axis of Resistance Change Rules of Engagement?

Following the attack, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a statement condemned the crime and announced that General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a Quds Force commander, his deputy Mohammad Hadi Rahimi, and seven officers were assassinated in the terrorist raid. 

Since 2011 civil war, the Israeli regime has carried out hundreds of attacks on Syrian territory, but in recent months, it has gone further and crossed the red lines of Axis of Resistance by assassinating the senior commanders of the IRGC stationed for advisory mission in Syria. Although Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari avoided answering Israel's role in the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the White House announced that Tel Aviv informed the US before the attack. Washington denied any involvement in the assault, however, and said it was investigating the matter. 

Iran's officials each issued their condemnations and warned that grave consequences await the Israeli enemy. 

Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Hossein Akbari, in a conversation with reporters about the details of this heinous act, said that Israeli fighters targeted the consulate building with six missiles. It is the responsibility of the international institutions to stop Israel's actions, otherwise there would be great consequences, Akbari warned. 

Iranian Foeign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart described the attack on the embassy as "violating all the international conventions and obligations" and held Israeli regime accountable for its criminal actions. He highlighted the need for the international community to take serious actions to such crimes. 

In an X post, Amir-Abdollahian wrote: "Following the Israeli regime's terrorist attack on the diplomatic building of the Islamic Republic of Iran's consulate in Damascus and the martyrdom of several of our country's official military advisors, the official of the Swiss Embassy was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the protector of American interests in Iran. In this recall, an important message was sent to the American government as a supporter of the Zionist regime. America should be responsible." 

The spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Naser Kan'ani, also described this aggression as a clear violation of international laws and conventions, especially the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, adding: "This action should be condemned in the strongest possible terms by the international community and the United Nations, and necessary measures should be taken against the aggressor." Kanani further said that while reserving its right to retaliate, Tehran will decide on the nature of the reaction and certainly punish Tel Aviv. 

After a meeting chaired by President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Supreme National Security Council stated that it will take the necessary decisions regarding targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Raisi warned the Israelis should know that they will not achieve their goals with such actions and that this crime will not go unanswered.

Iran's deputy envoy to the UN Zahra Ershadi called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the aggression. The Russian envoy said that the UNSC will convene on Tuesday night to discuss strike on the diplomatic building which is immune according to all international laws. 

Iran reserves the right to self-defense 

Struggling with a hefty pile of judicial and political challenges since he reassumed the office in December 2022, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the past six months has been grappling with a deep abyss, and he is struggling for a way out. 

Having failed to achieve anything in Gaza, Netanyahu, by resorting to the assassination of resistance commanders in Syria and Lebanon, is trying to convince the public opinion and domestic critics that he is not actionless against the Iran-led Axis of Resistance and has also achieved some successes. But the fact is that the war in Gaza which has now taken regional aspects indicates that Tel Aviv is caught in the security vortex from all sides.

While sustaining losses in Gaza, the Israeli regime is busy fighting Hezbollah on its northern borders, and the Israeli settlements bordering Lebanon have been under missile attacks for months, and 80,000 settlers have left their homes. Despite the fact that the Israeli officials claim they are in control on the Lebanese front and are not afraid of Hezbollah, their actions indicates that they are afraid of full-scale war with Hezbollah.

Netanyahu is certain that, unlike Hamas, Hezbollah has a massive arsenal of missiles and drones, which it will use in a major juncture. According to the Israeli authorities, in the event of a war, 2,000 missiles will be fired from Lebanon at the occupied territories daily. It is for this reason that Netanyahu assigned the US and France to reach an agreement with Hezbollah, because the continuation of the crisis is not in the interest of Tel Aviv hardliners.

In the Red Sea, too, Yemen's Ansarullah has been tightening the noose on the Israeli enemy by banning Israeli ships' navigation. Despite the American and British attacks that were meant to deter Ansarullah, the Israelis over the past three months have not managed to stop Red Sea operations of the resistance Yemeni movement and actually the anti-Yemeni aggression has backfired. Ansarullah has recently unveiled its hypersonic missiles and drone submarines, warning that the Israeli and allied ships from the Indian Ocean to Southern Africa are within its missile fire range.

Given the political atmosphere of the occupied territories, Netanyahu knows that the cessation of the war in Gaza will be the end of his cabinet and will be criticized for numerous failures against the Resistance camp and convinced for judicial cases. So, he is trying to heighten the level of tensions with Iran to continue the conflict and united the home ranks.

Netanyahu is now in a tight spot and is clawing like a trapped cat to break free from this difficult situation. In Netanyahu’s viewpoint, enmity to Iran is the single thing that unites the Israelis. He has alway claimed that resistance factions are proxies to the Islamic Republic and that he should cut off the "head of the snake." Actually, he is focused on this goal, not knowing that this adventure willy not have happy ending for his government and him.

Therefore, the heinous crime of Tel Aviv against the Iranian consulate, not only will not save Netanyahu, but also with the resolve of the Islamic Republic and the Resistance camp to give a painful response to this terrorist attack, the Israelis will sink further into the security abyss. Palestinian resistance groups, Hezbollah, and Ansarullah in separate statements condemned this heinous crime and declared that the pure blood of General Zahedi and his comrades "will strengthen the resolve of the resistance to confront the bloodthirsty enemy" whom the blood of thousands of Palestinian children does not quench. 

The resistance groups in recent months have tried to contain the tensions domain to convince the Israeli regime to stop its killing machine in order to steer clear of a broader regional war. But it seems that Tel Aviv hardliners are not interested in de-escalation.

As long as the Israeli genocide continues in Gaza, resistance groups will not walk back from their support to the Palestinian people. With the recent crime in Damascus, the unity of fronts— which suggests that aggression on one branch of the Axis of Resistance will draw reaction from all branches— will be strengthened, and from now on, the northern and Red Sea fronts will be more heated. Actually, with the undermining of the Israeli security, Netanyahu and his cabal will figure out how much power and capability the head of the Axis of Resistance has and can use to punish the Israeli enemy should the need arises.