Iran under pressure to attack Israel after top Hezbollah terror chief killed | world | News

Iran was on the verge of launching attacks on Israel last night, leading to a dangerous escalation of the war in the Middle East.

This is followed by the assassination of one of his highest-ranking generals in Lebanon.

General Abbas Nilforushan, head of operations for Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed along with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut yesterday morning.

The 58-year-old Iranian general is believed to have been sent to Beirut to help Hezbollah plug gaping holes in its command and control structure after two weeks of successful Israeli attacks.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already been moved to a safe location within the country where heightened security measures are in place, according to regional officials.

The sources said Iran is 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 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 subsequently attacked an additional 140 Hezbollah sites, including launch pads for Israeli civilians, weapons storage buildings, strategic weapons, and weapons production facilities.

Just eight days ago, Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, two commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit tasked with 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, crippling the terror group’s communications systems.

Nasrallah had led Hezbollah for 32 years and was responsible for strengthening Hezbollah’s ties with Iran.

Therefore, his death is believed to have been a special blow to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior IRGC commanders.

Last night, Khamenei called on all Muslims to “stand by the Lebanese people and the proud Hezbollah by all means and help them confront the evil regime (of Israel).”

Reacting to Nasrallah’s death, he added: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of the resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront.”

“40 percent chance that Iran will carry out a direct attack on Israel in the next three weeks.” Megan Sutcliffe, Sibyllines Strategic Risk Group

Meanwhile, both Iran and Israel were engaged in a deadly “3D chess game,” experts said.

“Both sides are still judging each other – there are multiple levels of chess being played at once,” said regional expert Megan Sutcliffe of strategic risk group Sibylline.

An Israeli ground attack on Lebanon appeared increasingly likely after the IDF called up three reserve battalions for operational activities.

Since October 8 last year, Israel has been subjected to constant bombardment by Hezbollah, which has led to the displacement of more than 60,000 Israelis from their homes in the north.

In June, an IDF commander near the Lebanese border told the Sunday Express that an offensive against Lebanon could not be won through air strikes alone

“We know from the past that a war with Lebanon involves ground forces,” the brigade commander said.

But last night all eyes were on Iran, which has a “40 percent chance” of launching a direct attack on Israel in the next two or three weeks.

“Iran is under pressure,” Sutcliffe said.

“In the short term, we can expect an increase in attacks from Iran’s regional proxies.

“But the regime still needs to retaliate for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July.”

“Now there is Nasrallah and the need to show that being an Iranian proxy is still worth it.”

“We estimate that the probability of a direct attack on Israel in the next three weeks is 40 percent.”