IRAN was on the brink of launching strikes on Israel last night in a dangerous escalation of war in the Middle East.
It follows the killing of one of its most senior generals in Lebanon.
Gen Abbas Nilforushan was deputy of operations for Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an Israeli air strike on Beirut yesterday morning.
The 58-year-old Iranian general is thought to have been sent to Beirut to help Hezbollah shore up gaping holes in its command and control structure following a fortnight of successful Israeli attacks.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place, according to regional officials.
The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next step.
Nasrallah was killed in a powerful airstrike on Hezbollah’s underground central command headquarters beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh – a Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut.
Other Hezbollah commanders, including senior leader Ali Karaki, were also killed.
The IDF then struck a further 140 Hezbollah sites, including launchers aimed at Israeli civilians, buildings in which weapons were stored, strategic weaponry, weapons production facilities.
Just eight days ago Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, two commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit tasked with carrying out attacks in northern Israel, were killed in a similar airstrike.
And around 30 Hezbollah commanders were killed the week before when Israel detonated booby-trapped pagers and walkie talkies , neutralising the terror group’s communications systems.
Nasrallah had led Hezbollah for 32 years, and was responsible for strengthening Hezbollah’s ties with Iran.
As such, his death is thought to have come as a particular blow to Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and senior IRGC commanders.
Last night Khamenei called on all Muslims “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the wicked regime (of Israel)”.
Reacting to Nasrallah’s death, he added: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront”.
“40 per cent likelihood that Iran will carry out a direct attack on Israel in the next three weeks.” Megan Sutcliffe, Sibylline strategic risk group
In the meantime, both Iran and Israel were embodied in a deadly game of “3D chess,” experts said.
“Both sides are still assessing each other – several layers of chess being played all at once,” said regional expert Megan Sutcliffe from the Sibylline strategic risk group.
A ground assault on Lebanon to Israel seemed increasingly likely after the IDF called up three reserve battalions for operational activities.
Israel has been subjected to constant Hezbollah bombardment since October 8 last year, which has forced the displacement of more than 60,000 Israelis from their homes in the north.
In June, an IDF commander near the Lebanon border told the Sunday Express that any offensive on Lebanon could not be won by air strikes alone
“We know historically that, when it comes to war with Lebanon, it means ground troops, said the brigade commander.
But last night all eyes were turned to Iran, which has a “40 per cent likelihood” of carrying out a direct attack against Israel in the next two or three weeks.
“Iran is under pressure,” said Sutcliffe.
“In the short term , we can expect a strengthening of attacks by Iran’s regional proxies.
“But the regime still needs to retaliate for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July.
“Now there’s Nasrallah and the need to demonstrate that it still pays to be an Iranian proxy.
“We assess that this all gives it a 40 per cent likelihood of carrying out a direct attack on Israel in the next three weeks.”
