Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Gaza war: Israeli assassinations draw fiery rhetoric from Iran and Hezbollah – but regional escalation is unlikely

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 5, 2024

He left no mark on search engines or in coverage of Iran’s military and the Middle East.

Key Points: 
  • He left no mark on search engines or in coverage of Iran’s military and the Middle East.
  • He had been the right-hand man of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards’ branch for operations outside Iran.
  • On January 2, an Israeli drone fired into a building in Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah is based.
  • They are telling Hamas, the Iran military and Hezbollah, “We can hit you anytime, anywhere,” and asking, “What are you going to do about it?”

Tough poses meet tougher realities

  • Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi postured in a photo opportunity with Mousavi’s family.
  • “This crime will definitely not go unanswered and the Zionist criminals will pay for this crime,” he said – without offering any specifics.
  • The near-paralysed Lebanese government, with no president and 12 intermittent and inconclusive parliamentary sessions, could finally dissolve into anarchy.
  • Asked by Amwaj Media if there would be retaliation for the assassinations, a “senior Iranian source” reflected: “Difficult decision.

Fighting the indirect war

  • Meanwhile the world, if not the Israelis, can be unsettled by “indirect war”.
  • Yemen’s Houthi insurgency, with political and military backing from Iran, are attacking civilian vessels in the Red Sea.
  • But there is always a risk of a chain reaction that, response by response, will wind up in the second-front war that no one wants or intends.


Scott Lucas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Gaza war: Israeli assassinations draws fiery rhetoric from Iran and Hezbollah – but regional escalation is unlikely

Retrieved on: 
Friday, January 5, 2024

He left no mark on search engines or in coverage of Iran’s military and the Middle East.

Key Points: 
  • He left no mark on search engines or in coverage of Iran’s military and the Middle East.
  • He had been the right-hand man of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards’ branch for operations outside Iran.
  • On January 2, an Israeli drone fired into a building in Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah is based.
  • They are telling Hamas, the Iran military and Hezbollah, “We can hit you anytime, anywhere,” and asking, “What are you going to do about it?”

Tough poses meet tougher realities

  • Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi postured in a photo opportunity with Mousavi’s family.
  • “This crime will definitely not go unanswered and the Zionist criminals will pay for this crime,” he said – without offering any specifics.
  • The near-paralysed Lebanese government, with no president and 12 intermittent and inconclusive parliamentary sessions, could finally dissolve into anarchy.
  • Asked by Amwaj Media if there would be retaliation for the assassinations, a “senior Iranian source” reflected: “Difficult decision.

Fighting the indirect war

  • Meanwhile the world, if not the Israelis, can be unsettled by “indirect war”.
  • Yemen’s Houthi insurgency, with political and military backing from Iran, are attacking civilian vessels in the Red Sea.
  • But there is always a risk of a chain reaction that, response by response, will wind up in the second-front war that no one wants or intends.


Scott Lucas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Despite its inflammatory rhetoric, Iran is unlikely to attack Israel. Here's why

Retrieved on: 
Friday, October 27, 2023

Iran has warned Israel of severe consequences from “multiple fronts” if it does not halt its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Key Points: 
  • Iran has warned Israel of severe consequences from “multiple fronts” if it does not halt its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
  • This warning is widely interpreted as a declaration of intent for Iran to enter the conflict via its allies and proxies.

Military and political repercussions

  • As a result, Iran has been maintaining a difficult balance between its ideological rhetoric and political expediency.
  • Anti-Israel and anti-US venom is a staple of political discourse for the hardline faction that governs Iran under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi.
  • Not only could there be an Israeli military retaliation on Iranian facilities, but also political repercussions for a regime increasingly unpopular with its own citizens.
  • Given this, a military confrontation with Israel could have unpredictable political consequences for the regime.

A hostage of its own rhetoric

  • After the US assassination of celebrated war hero Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, for example, Iranian authorities were enraged and promised “harsh retaliation”.
  • Iran is a hostage of its own inflammatory rhetoric.
  • Just because Iran has trained and sponsored Hezbollah, we cannot automatically assume Tehran has full control over all of its levers.
  • Read more:
    With Iran purportedly capable of making a nuclear bomb in a matter of months, what will its leaders do next?


Shahram Akbarzadeh has received funding from Australian Research Council and Gerda Henkel Foundation. He is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Middle East Council on Global Affairs (Doha).

Hamas and Hezbollah: how they are different and why they might cooperate against Israel

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The most critical additional threat to Israel is from Hezbollah, the militant group and political party based across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon.

Key Points: 
  • The most critical additional threat to Israel is from Hezbollah, the militant group and political party based across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon.
  • Hamas and Hezbollah are both backed by Iran and see weakening Israel as their primary raison d’etre.
  • Hezbollah has not yet fully entered the current conflict, but the group has exchanged fire with Israel, across the northern border with Lebanon.

What is Hezbollah?

    • Its ideology is focused on expelling western powers from the Middle East and on rejecting Israel’s right to exist.
    • Hezbollah’s military force continued to develop after the Lebanese civil war came to an end in 1990, despite most other factions disarming.
    • In 2021, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group had 100,000 fighters (though other estimates range between 25,000 and 50,000).
    • Other Lebanese parties accuse Hezbollah of paralysing and undermining the state and of contributing to Lebanon’s persistent instability.

What is Hamas?

    • The group was founded in 1987, in Gaza, as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a prominent Sunni group based in Egypt.
    • Emerging during what’s known as the first intifada or uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation, Hamas quickly adopted the principle of armed resistance and called for the annihilation of Israel.
    • Opposed to the peace process, Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, established itself as the primary force of armed resistance against Israel.

How are Hamas and Hezbollah different?

    • What’s more, as a Sunni organisation, Hamas does not share the Shia religious link to Iran that characterises Hezbollah and most of Iran’s proxies.
    • As a result, while Hamas no doubt benefits from Iran’s patronage, it tends to operate more independently than Hezbollah.
    • In contrast, Hamas has received support in the past from Turkey and Qatar, among others, and operates with relative autonomy.

Ransomware Dwell Time Hits Low of 24 Hours

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 5, 2023

ATLANTA, Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ransomware is being deployed within one day of initial access in more than 50% of engagements, says Secureworks® (NASDAQ: SCWX) Counter Threat Unit™ (CTU™). In just 12 months the median dwell time identified in the annual Secureworks State of the Threat Report has freefallen from 4.5 days to less than one day. In 10% of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.

Key Points: 
  • In 10% of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.
  • "The driver for the reduction in median dwell time is likely due to the cybercriminals' desire for a lower chance of detection.
  • The cybersecurity industry has become much more adept at detecting activity that is a precursor to ransomware.
  • The report examines what leak site activity actually reveals about ransomware attack success rates — it's not as straightforward as it seems.

Ransomware Dwell Time Hits Low of 24 Hours

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 5, 2023

ATLANTA, Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ransomware is being deployed within one day of initial access in more than 50% of engagements, says Secureworks® (NASDAQ: SCWX) Counter Threat Unit™ (CTU™). In just 12 months the median dwell time identified in the annual Secureworks State of the Threat Report has freefallen from 4.5 days to less than one day. In 10% of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.

Key Points: 
  • In 10% of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.
  • "The driver for the reduction in median dwell time is likely due to the cybercriminals' desire for a lower chance of detection.
  • The cybersecurity industry has become much more adept at detecting activity that is a precursor to ransomware.
  • The report examines what leak site activity actually reveals about ransomware attack success rates — it's not as straightforward as it seems.

Flight PS752 case referred to International Court of Justice, significant step towards justice

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023

TORONTO, July 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims (the Association) is pleased to share that the Government of Canada, alongside Ukraine, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, have formally referred the case regarding Islamic Republic of Iran’s downing of the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 on January 8, 2020, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, July 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims (the Association) is pleased to share that the Government of Canada, alongside Ukraine, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, have formally referred the case regarding Islamic Republic of Iran’s downing of the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 on January 8, 2020, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
  • This referral is a significant and long-awaited step towards holding the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accountable.
  • The Islamic Regime declined to respond within the six-month arbitration period, enabling this referral to the ICJ.
  • If accepted, an impartial court and hearing process will be initiated to investigate the downing of Flight PS752, which killed all 176 passengers and crew on board and an unborn child.

Ten Baha’i women executed together 40 years ago: Global campaign honors them in support of gender equality in Iran, calling for public creative contributions

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 15, 2023

Human rights groups and ordinary citizens around the world were shocked and outraged at this barbaric act by the Iranian authorities.

Key Points: 
  • Human rights groups and ordinary citizens around the world were shocked and outraged at this barbaric act by the Iranian authorities.
  • Global leaders at the time led a wave of appeals for condemned Baha'i women and men to be released from their death sentences.
  • We hope that remembering the execution of these 10 women will illuminate and reinforce conversations around justice and gender equality in Iran.
  • Two nights prior, six Baha’i men (some of them relatives of these 10 women) were executed in that same square.