Orientul Mijlociu

Ruling mullahs duly rolled into New York City to attend the U.N. General Assembly, led by Iran’s new “moderate” president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Two years have passed since the murder of Jina (“Mahsa”) Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s morality police. Amini was brutalized and killed for allegedly wearing her hijab, or head-covering, improperly—the sort of “crime” that sends a backward theocracy apoplectic with rage. Her death sparked the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, the latest and perhaps most significant wave of protest among the millions of ordinary Iranians who have been clamoring for regime change for well over a decade, but who have so far been unable to dislodge the ruling mullahs.

• The Houthi movement (Ansarallah) in Yemen is diversifying its relationships beyond Iran and other Axis of Resistance partners, increasing its operational autonomy.
• Russia is expanding strategic ties to the Houthis as leverage against U.S.-led military support for Ukraine, while trying to avoid rupturing its established regional relationships.
• The Houthis have built ties to the al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia in order to compound the threat the Yemeni group poses to global shipping chokepoints.
• Houthi procurement networks have obtained key technology from China, even as Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping represent a threat to China’s trade with Europe.

Military and local sources in Daraa and Quneitra confirmed to Syria TV that the military situation in southern Syria and along the borders of the occupied Golan remains unchanged.

Local sources in southern Syria have denied claims made by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which cited Israeli security officials stating that the Israeli army is concerned about the arrival of approximately 40,000 fighters from Syria, Iraq, and Yemen to the Golan Heights. These fighters are reportedly awaiting a call to action from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike on south Beirut.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, the Lebanese movement said Saturday, dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group that has been engaged in a year of cross-border hostilities with Israel.

The Eighth Brigade comprises several local factions in Daraa that were once part of the opposition.

On Tuesday evening, clashes erupted in the town of al-Musayfra, located in the eastern countryside of Daraa, between a faction of the Eighth Brigade under the Military Security and a group affiliated with Air Force Intelligence.

A significant portion of the recalled forces belong to Hezbollah’s elite “Radwan Unit”

In a strategic shift following recent Israeli cyber and military attacks, Hezbollah has begun withdrawing key units, including elite forces and special operations teams, from Syria and other Arab countries to bolster its front in southern Lebanon. The move, confirmed by multiple military and security sources, reflects the group’s escalating preparations for a potential confrontation with Israel.

The attack left four members dead, including the patrol commander, Mukhtar Mahtab, al-Masdar writes.

Unknown assailants launched an armed attack on a military patrol belonging to the Afghan militia Zainebiyoun, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, on Sunday evening near the Taybeh area in the eastern countryside of Homs.

Investigation

The Syrian army is getting its hands on new-looking EU-branded trucks. An undercover investigation found evidence of a secretive supply chain routing vehicles from Europe to Syria through neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon.

Syria’s civil war is one of the most devastating conflicts of the 21st century. More than half a million people have been killed and about 12 million forced to flee their homes.

Established In: 1979

Established By: Ayatollah Khomeini

Also Known As: IRGC, Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution

Country Of Origin: Iran

Leaders: Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari

Key Members: Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakvar

Operational Area: Iran, Syria, Iraq

Number Of Members: 120,000–125,000

Involved In: Smuggling (including importing illegal alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and satellite dishes, into Iran via jetties not supervised by the Government), Training and supplying Hezbollah and Hamas, Kidnappings of 5 Britons from a government ministry building in Baghdad in 2007

For many years now, Hezbollah has served as a major instrument of Iran to take over Lebanon, not only as a territory but as a sovereign state. Many Western countries would like to avoid that and invest in the former “Pearl of the Middle East”, led by France. These efforts are futile in view of the Iranian circumvention apparatus, who’s main mechanism is allocated in the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon. No matter how much pressure is put on a state level, Hezbollah will survive and even prosper, as long as one does not put an end to Hezbollah’s control over these main smuggling routes.