Vanessa Beeley

1. Will ‘Greater Syria’ and ‘Greater Israel’ Collide or Co-exist under the Al Qaeda Regime?

With the fall of Syria came the reshaping of the Resistance Axis, weakened by the loss of the central hub linking the regional state and non-state actors, and providing the land bridge that connected Iran to Palestine. Syria was historically instrumental in the manufacture and development of the weapons being used by the Palestinian and Lebanese Resistance factions against Israel.

This is an update on the current state of affairs in the region, focusing on Lebanon and Syria since the 'ceasefire' between the US, Israel, and Iran. It is a ceasefire designed to enable Israel to replenish air defence interceptor supplies and to prepare for the next stage of the long war against Iran. As with the ceasefire between Iran and Hezbollah that came into effect on 27 November 2024, we saw a US/Israel pivot to Syria and the fall of the Syrian Government within ten days, leading to an Al Qaeda Junta controlling Syria and acting as a de facto Zionist alliance proxy in the region.

Lebanon

Trump's inexperienced, economic hit-man, and envoy to the Middle East (West Asia) is Thomas Barrack. In recent weeks, Barrack has been pushing the Lebanese Government for the full disarmament of Hezbollah, contrary to UN resolution 1701, which specifies the withdrawal of Hezbollah to the north of the Litani River. Both the US and Trump's advisors know that this is an unrealistic demand, as Hezbollah will never agree to disarm while Israel is on their borders and occupying land in southern Lebanon.

Barrack is demanding that the disarmament comes into effect within four months, which is also unrealistic. In the 1980s, after the Lebanese Civil War, the Zionist-aligned Lebanese Forces were disarmed, which at the time represented less than 10% of Hezbollah's capabilities. This process took two or three years.

Proposing the disarmament of Hezbollah is a similar tactic to demanding Iran abandons its nuclear energy development or its defensive missile program. The Zionist bloc know it will not be adopted. For Israel, the goal is to weaken the Resistance in Lebanon and Iraq in the interim period before a resurgence of aggression against Iran. The preferred option in Lebanon is to manufacture a civil war which will occupy Hezbollah internally, reducing their ability to react to Israeli aggression, in theory. However, this is a miscalculation on the part of the Zionist bloc.

Barrack is insistent upon the Hezbollah disarmament, but he is not applying the same pressure on Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, or to stop its daily bombing raids and drone assassinations across Lebanon.

Hezbollah has demonstrated its ability to withstand and prevent any serious ground invasion by the Zionist forces, while the Lebanese Army (LAF) has been unable to prevent further Zionist incursions since the ceasefire. This is largely because the US, the chief sponsor of the LAF, has ensured that the LAF are not equipped with air defence capabilities or the ground superiority necessary to be able to defend the country against the asymmetric force of the US-empowered Zionist military. They are restricted to 'reporting' the daily Zionist violations and regular assassinations of Lebanese civilians on the basis that they are 'Hezbollah'.

A recent video has been circulating showing the Zionist drone assassination of a retired LAF officer, injured and exposed, while villagers are shouting at him to make it to the shelter of the trees. He responds that he is "too tired". His neighbours were unable to reach him because they too would have been killed. This is how Israel operates across the region, from Gaza to Iran.

Tripoli in the North of Lebanon

Israel has recently carried out strikes in Tripoli. This is a new development. It is significant when one takes into consideration the rhetoric from both Barrack and the Al Qaeda chief, Abu Mohammed Al Jolani (now known as Ahmed Al Sharaa), which will be discussed in this article.

The Zionists know that they are incapable of defeating Hezbollah in a ground war. The same applies across the region, including Gaza, where the Resistance have been inflicting huge damage to the Zionist forces in recent weeks. Any direct invasion of Lebanon will bring only crushing defeat, and it will damage the political cliff-hanging of Netanyahu, maintaining power through perpetual war dependent upon Blitzkreig tactics.

The alternative is to weaponise the new Syrian Takfiri regime against Lebanon to secure the Zionist agenda. Rumours have been rife in Israeli media of a deal that Jolani has allegedly concocted to bring Israel to the 'negotiating table' with Syria:

• Scenario 1: Israel would retain strategic areas in the Golan Heights equivalent to one-third of its territory, hand over a third to Syria, and lease another third from Syria for a period of 25 years.

• Scenario 2: Israel keeps two-thirds of the Golan Heights, and hands over the remaining third to Syria, with the possibility of its lease. Under this scenario, the Lebanese city of Tripoli, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border, and possibly other Lebanese territories in the north of the country and the Beqaa Valley, would be handed over to Syria [emphasis added].

The threats against Lebanon have been amplified by Barrack, who has said if Hezbollah is not disarmed, Syria will annex northern Lebanon as part of Greater Syria—Bilad Al Sham. It is a claim to Syrian ownership of Lebanese territory that is not evidenced by the history of Tripoli.

"You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn't move, it's going to be Bilad Al Sham again". Barrack goes on to incite factions within Lebanon against the Resistance: "Syrians say Lebanon is our beach resort. So we need to move. And I know how frustrated the Lebanese people are. It frustrates me".

Barrack later tried to walk his remarks back on X:

• My comments yesterday praised Syria's impressive strides, not a threat to Lebanon. I observed the reality that Syria is moving at light speed to seize the historic opportunity presented by POTUS' lifting of sanctions: Investment from Turkiye and the Gulf, diplomatic outreach to neighboring countries and a clear vision for the future. I can assure that Syria's leaders only want coexistence and mutual prosperity with Lebanon, and the US is committed to supporting that relationship between two equal and sovereign neighbors enjoying peace and prosperity.

This statement was met with derision and condemnation from many X accounts.

Jolani has also allegedly threatened Lebanon over the thousands of Takfiri prisoners held in Lebanese prisons. Demanding their repatriation, which would swell the ranks of the HTS militia, Jolani threatened to close borders and to apply economic pressure on Lebanon if his demands were not fulfilled. While this has been denied by the 'New Syria' Minister of Information, many believe that the threats are real.

The threat from Syria also has potential for the entry of Takfiri factions from the north and east of Lebanon. There have been rumours of Jolani militia entering Tripoli by boat, denied by the LAF, but confirmed by some civilians in the area. Terrorist cells were recently captured in the Mount Lebanon area in the area above Beirut and in other areas of the country. These cells are described as having connections to ISIS.

Preparations have been ongoing for some time to repel attacks from HTS foreign Takfiri elements along Lebanon's northeastern borders. These aggressors consist of Uighur, Uzbek, and Chechen terrorists who have been gathering on the border and reinforcing their positions. Lebanese tribal factions in the area have been gathering to defend their land alongside the LAF forces already present. Hezbollah is largely absent from these preparations for the time being.

A verified source in Syria told a Telegram channel that there is a security pact between Israel and 'New Syria'. Should Lebanon refuse to join the Abraham Accords and 'normalise' relations with the Zionist entiry, Jolani will carry out attacks against Lebanon.

President Aoun of Lebanon has now ruled out the normalisation, and he is demanding full withdrawal of the Zionist forces from southern Lebanon.

According to the source, planning for the invasion scenario is already underway. Jolani is being groomed as a regional enforcer for Israel, a role that may extend into Iraq in the future. President Trump's lavish praise of Jolani as a "strong fighter with a robust past" is linked to the role that the US will fully approve. The US has ostensibly lifted sanctions that were crippling the Syrian economy and recovery, while lifting the foreign terrorist designation from HTS, formerly Al Nusra Front or Al Qaeda in Syria. Any such concessions will come at a cost for Jolani and the Takfiri forces under his tenuous command.

The plans are to facilitate the entry of Takfiri elements into northern Lebanon, deploy foreign Takfiri forces along the eastern border with artillery and heavy weapons, trigger sleeper cells inside Lebanon to carry out suicide bombings, and perhaps to incite civil unrest among the enemies of Hezbollah. Simultaneously, Israel might expand deeper into the southern territory with the tacit approval of the US.

This is the plan, but will it work? Ten or twenty thousand Uighur, Uzbek, Chechen, and even Syrian extremists cannot defeat Hezbollah in a ground confrontation. The northern Lebanese tribes repelled heavy Takfiri attacks previously, with no help from the LAF or Hezbollah.

The situation could actually reverse at some point, with Hezbollah entering Syrian territory. Hezbollah would not be alone in such a battle. The LAF as well as the Akkar and Bekaa Valley tribes would mobilise to defend the borders. The battle would be an invasion of Lebanese territory by Syria, which is something that virtually all Lebanese would not accept. This would actually increase the popularity of Hezbollah as the most significant defence force in the country. Even the hardcore enemies of Hezbollah, who might reluctantly accept Israeli occupation, would never accept the invasion or annexation of Lebanese territory by Jolani/Syria or a Takfiri occupation.

The LAF would have to counter the Israeli invasion in the south which, again, would swing popular opinion against Israeli aggression and raise the issue of Lebanese sovereignty at a political level. This is something that the US alliance, the Arab Gulf States, and Israel want to avoid. A united Lebanon is not conducive to their expansionist project.

The Hezbollah withdrawal from the south of the Litani River does not negate their capability to redeploy or to conduct attacks against the Zionist forces from north of the river.

Effectively, the plan is a huge gamble for the Zionist bloc. It is fine to sacrifice Syrian Takfiri proxies connected to Al Qaeda and ISIS, but it could easily backfire.

Israel took control of Mt. Hermon in Syria on the border with Lebanon as a very important strategic military site. They intend to use the base to launch artillery attacks against the Resistance but primarily as a surveillance and espionage hub. However, it is a prime target for the Hezbollah drones and missiles.

Plan B would be for the bloc to continue to apply crippling economic pressure on Lebanon, to withhold reconstruction funding, and to reduce Hezbollah's financial resources by curtailing the Hezbollah Qard Al-Hassan banking system. This system is not based on usury, but rather on interest-free cooperative loans that are available to all Lebanese. The US would impose sanctions and blame Hezbollah in an effort to turn Lebanese and the Lebanese state against the party.

Syria is Now the Crossroads for Regional Interests

Part of the alleged security deal between Jolani and Israel includes a Syria, Turkey, and Israel deal to bring water from the Euphrates through Syria to Israel. The problem with this project lies in the competing spheres of influence. Turkey is a NATO member state, and a long-time intelligence, arms, and economic ally of Israel. Baku oil is being supplied to Israel through Turkey, despite the ongoing Zionist genocide in Gaza and expansion of land grab in the West Bank.

Syria is a major area of competition for Israel and Turkey. The Greater Israel project clashes with the neo-Ottoman empire. President Erdogan's aspirations are to have sole guardianship of Syria post-Assad. Jolani has changed the rules of the game, as he did when he left ISIS to establish Al Qaeda in Syria.

After the fall of Damascus, we saw Saudi Arabia take centre stage, brokering the meeting between Jolani and Trump, with Erdogan participating via telephone link. This was one of the first signs of a weakening in the Turkish influence over Jolani, at least from a political perspective.

The US views regional interests through the lens of Israel. Erdogan does not want Syria to normalise with Israel, even though he would not say so publicly. Jolani is clearly edging towards a first phase of normalisation, which is a condition set by Trump for the lifting of sanctions and potentially other 'under the table' deals. For Erdogan, normalisation means the Zionisation of Syria and the reduction of his role in the country. It would also mean increased Gulf State influence, which would be a blow to Erdogan, positioning himself as the leader of the Muslim world.

For Saudi Arabia, Syria would be a doorway to Europe, and Jolani would give the Arab Gulf States exclusive access to Syrian resources, marginalising or excluding Turkey and even perhaps Russia, which has historically had the exploration rights to Syrian coastal gas reserves. If Syria takes steps towards normalisation with Israel, Saudi Arabia can more easily go down the same route with less popular backlash.

Saudi Arabia has good relations with the US/Israel-backed Kurdish SDF factions in the north, while Turkey's historical enmity with the Kurds is hindering the centralisation deal between Jolani and the SDF. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) led by Saudi Arabia can provide the investment needed for Syria's economic recovery more easily than Turkey, whose economy has been decimated by Erdogan's involvement in funding the regime change war against Syria since 2011. Added to all this, Turkish media has recently reported on plots to assassinate Jolani, allegedly foiled by Turkish Intelligence. This story has been denied by the Jolani administration. It is a scenario that serves only to push Jolani closer to Israel. Finally, the Syrian National Army, which is fully backed by Turkey, could present a serious challenge to Jolani's leadership. Cooperation with Israel might give Jolani some protection from a possible SNA coup.

Local sources in Damascus report that Mossad operatives are regular visitors to the Four Seasons Hotel, along with American, British, and French Intelligence agents. Previously, Turkish intelligence dominated the post-Assad scene in Damascus. However, squeezing Erdogan out of the Syrian picture beyond containment in the north could lead to unintended consequences for Jolani and the Zionist bloc.

The Water War

The Syrian population is suffering from a severe shortage of drinking water due to a scarcity of rain in the last few winters. Water rationing in Damascus has reached unprecedented levels, and it is expected to get worse in the peak summer months. It is no coincidence that Israel, which takes 30% of its water needs from the occupied Syrian Golan, wants to take control of the groundwater-rich Yarmouk Basin, Mt. Hermon (a natural water reservoir for melting snow and rainwater), and other areas rich in water resources like the Al Mantara Dam near Daraa in southern Syria.

The David's Corridor, which will connect Israel to eastern Syria, not only guarantees Israeli military occupation, but provides access to the Euphrates River, which is controlled by Turkey through a system of dams. Turkey has deliberately reduced water levels as a pressure mechanism and siege against the Kurdish factions in the northeast. Israel, on the other hand, sees the Kurds as a convenient ally to facilitate Israel's access to the water supply. The complexities surrounding the alliances in Syria have now become untenable for many of the regional players.

Will the US Supply Weapons to Jolani, and Are the Sanctions Really over?

With the apparent lifting of the terrorist designation for HTS, there is a risk that the US will take advantage of the legitimisation of the HTS regime to supply weapons to help Jolani reinforce Israel's security in the region.

It must be noted that the US will never allow Syria to possess heavy weapons, air defence, or a viable navy or air force, similar to the LAF. This is to reduce the potential threat to Israel now or in the future. Perhaps they have learned from the Timber Sycamore weapons for 'moderate rebels' falling into the hands of ISIS? That is unlikely, because the US engineered the support for ISIS while disguising it as support for the moderates.

However, it is true that the weapons could be used in the future by opposition Takfiri factions or even Resistance movements opposed to Israel. This is also why Israel regularly targets weapons storage sites whenever it learns of their presence in Syria. It is also why Israel has bombed any attempt by Turkey to establish HTS air defence facilities or a Turkish military presence in central Syria.

The only weapons that will be available to HTS are light and medium weapons, sufficient to engage Hezbollah and the LAF, or even the Iraqi Resistance in the future. This ensures a confrontation that would be long and exhausting without the guarantee of a victory for either side. It would be perfectly organised chaos that serves the agenda of the US and Israel by ensuring that Hezbollah is preoccupied with Syria, should the aggression against Iran reignite.

According to a reliable source in Syria, there are misconceptions over the lifting of sanctions on Syria. The following points were made:

• Trump lifted sanctions on 519 individuals and entities. It was a PR stunt. Some sanctions were lifted from former President Bashar Al Assad and some former government officials.

• The most important and damaging sanctions related to economic support and reconstruction, such as the Caesar Act and designating Syria as a 'state sponsor of terrorism', were not removed.

• These laws require a congressional resolution, and Trump alone does not have the authority to repeal them. Trump could have granted a temporary waiver for six months or a year pending congressional approval, but he did not do this.

• The decision issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to rescind the designation of 'Jabhat al-Nusra/Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under 8 U.S.C. 1189(a)(6)(A) does not, in any way, remove the entity from the sanctions lists under 50 U.S.C. 1702. So, this is also a PR exercise that largely benefits the US and Israel, not Jolani, as the sanctions threat is still in place.

• Effectively, HTS is no longer a 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation', but it is still a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'. This means members of HTS can visit New York and Paris, but nobody can have financial dealings with them or send them weapons directly, at least not before the Treasury Department issues a decision to lift this status.

All of the above is confirmed by the phone call between Asaad Al Shaibani, the Al Qaeda Foreign Minister, and Marco Rubio. Shaibani did not thank Rubio for the decision, but he expressed hope for further relief from terrorist labels and the Caesar Sanctions. The aforementioned decisions were taken to enable Jolani's presence at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, which is being heralded as an opportunity for Netanyahu and Jolani to meet and to finalise the 'security' agreement.

The Importance of Homs, Syria, on the Border with Lebanon

Homs' strategic importance for all players in Syria is its position in the centre of the country and its role as a major trade and transportation hub, combined with its wealth of hydrocarbon resources. Furthermore, the Governorate of Homs extends from the Iraqi border, through the central Syrian desert, including Palmyra, to the Lebanese border.

The recent focus of Jolani's militia has been on the ethnic cleansing in the Homs region of all ethnic minorities, the theft of homes, and the settlement of Takfiri elements in the area to alter the demographic entirely. This should be compared to the ongoing brutal Takfiri settlement project in the Syrian coastal region.

The purpose of securing these regions, in particular, is to take full control of the Syrian territory adjacent to the northern and eastern borders with Lebanon. Homs constitutes a key focal point for military concentrations and the launching of missile attacks towards Lebanon. Additionally, it opens the route for ISIS to enter Lebanon from its strongholds in eastern Syria and the central Syrian desert.

Under the Syria-Israel security agreement, Homs would be central to the prevention of Iraqi Resistance forces reaching Lebanon to support Hezbollah.

The Zionisation of Syria — Has the Normalisation Project Failed or Remodelled?

Al Qaeda chief, Jolani, meets President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev

It remains to be seen how realistic is a public normalisation deal between Syria and Israel. There are hardline factions within HTS that will reject it. This will exacerbate the divisions already forming under Jolani's command which have been discussed in previous articles. Ordinary Syrians, who grew up with the history of conflict between Syria and Israel, would also reject such a step.

Israel is also divided between Netanyahu's normalisation campaign and the more pragmatic factions in Israel that reject such a step with Syria, while the Al Qaeda regime and the President lack constitutional or electoral legitimacy. There is a clear threat that factions in Jolani's militia might pose a security threat to Israel in the future. Trump is aligned with Netanyahu, despite the rumours of a rift between the two heads of state.

The aforementioned 'security agreement' would provide a satisfactory compromise, providing Jolani with a face-saving alternative to the humiliation of leading Syria into full normalisation with Israel, after decades of Syrian-led resistance to the Zionist entity and pro-Palestine solidarity. Israeli media has suggested that "such an agreement could lay the groundwork for an Abraham Accords-style normalisation after a period of trust-building".

In return, Jolani must pledge to assist Israel with security against "Iran and its proxies in the region". Since Jolani took power, he has been undermining the Palestinian resistance in Syria through imprisonment, expulsion, disarmament, and the closure of offices across the country. Syrian Palestinians are forbidden to protest in solidarity with Gaza. Such protests were being held weekly under the former government. More recently, Jolani's administration is heading towards replacing the designation 'Syrian Palestinian' with 'Palestinian resident' in official documents for Palestinians in Syria.

This is a crucial reclassification of the legal identity of Palestinians in Syria that clearly has political motivations which comply with Israel's security demands. Palestinians were previously given full Syrian citizenship rights, but without abandoning their Palestinian identity and their right to return to their land.

There have been indications for some time that Israel might try to force Gaza and West Bank Palestinians into Syria as part of the ethnic cleansing plan. Ongoing discussions between Syrians (not affiliated with Jolani) show that they fully understand that this will be the end of Palestine and while they would always give refuge to displaced Palestinians, they fear that this will lead to the Zionists' 'final solution' and extermination of Palestinian presence in Palestine. Therefore, they oppose such a measure which would lead to serious backlash for Jolani should he agree to such a step.

On 13 July, Israeli media made the claim that Jolani met with Netanyahu's special envoy in Baku, Azerbaijan. Central to the discussions between Jolani and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev were solutions for Syria's ongoing energy crisis, with the majority of oil reserves still occupied by the US and the Kurdish factions in the northeast. Azerbaijan proposed the export of natural gas to Syria via Turkey, which again brings Turkey into the picture, despite the challenges presented by competition with Israel.

However, it is certain, despite denials from various parties, that the main discussions were concerning the Syria-Israel security agreement. It is no coincidence that immediately after Jolani returned from Baku, tensions flared between Druze factions in southern Syria and the Bedouin, Syrian tribal factions linked to HTS and ISIS. This led to fierce and bloody clashes for 48 hours, which are still ongoing with HTS militia trying to gain control of the region and to bring the Druze factions to heel. Some factions within the Druze accepted a ceasefire, while others have continued fighting.

Israel will exploit the confrontation to fulfil the Zionist agenda to gain full access to and control over the Sweida province in southeast Syria, facilitating the David's Corridor creation along the eastern border with Iraq and Jordan. To this end, a joint statement has been issued by PM Netanyahu and 'Defence' Minister Israel Katz pledging IOF military support for the Druze factions. This is a rapidly developing situation, one that I will cover in more detail in a future article.

HTS never had control of southern Syria. Formerly, it was Ahmed Al Awda and the pro-Russian forces of the Eighth Brigade that had maintained control, and were the first to enter Damascus on 8 December 2024. The UAE had attempted to mediate agreements between HTS and Al Awda, but with limited success.

Israel took control of much of the south and has expanded further with little resistance since the fall of Damascus. The security agreement with Israel actually relieves Jolani of the pressure to police the south, and eases the military burden for the Takfiri militia, making it easier to focus on Lebanon or any other target given to Jolani by the US and Israel.

According to Fars News, the choice of Baku as a venue for these meetings was a joint decision of Tel Aviv and Washington to send a threatening message to Iran. Azerbaijan stands accused by Iranian officials of allowing its airspace to be used by Israel to launch attacks against Iran during the 12-day war.

It is clear that Jolani is tied to a long-term project in the region that may take years to implement. Western allied intelligence agencies have learned from the experience in Afghanistan. Instead of deploying an Osama Bin Laden character, they have produced Jolani, suited and groomed by the British and Americans. Syrian territory is now a central Takfiri hub that can be deployed against all members of the Resistance Axis with relative ease. At least, this is the plan.

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2. Iran is the new UK 'threat', UAE groomed by Blair to lead Zionist agenda in West Asia, Darfur - the forgotten war

I have included reports from Mike Robinson and Charles Malet of UK Column with my report on the Tony Blair involvement in the creation of the Abraham Accords because they all intersect. The common denominator being the grooming of the UAE to administer the incoming digital dictatorship in West Asia and beyond. UAE is heavily implicated in the Blair-Netanyahu-Trump plans for the region and in Western states. Interesting, for me, that China is also embedded in the UAE and working on the digital surveillance tech that is being used to spy on and crack down on dissent. The UAE is a nest of Western and Zionist intelligence agencies and was identified by Blair as the most natural partner for the Zionist entity in the region.

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3. Silence Screams: The Zionist-Washington Empire Unveils Technocratic Blueprint for War & Escalates Domestic Surveillance

Our official Critical Perspectives podcast series now has a Youtube here and our first episode is here. Please subscribe, hit the bell and share to help us get into the algorithm!

Fiorella and I dive deep into the current geopolitical climate from the perspective of West Asia and the U.S. as Israel Expands Influence in Syria, as the US lifts sanctions on Damascus and targets Hezbollah, Abraham Accords advances, and Global Tensions Rise. Trump changed his stance on Russia-Ukraine and goes after Putin, as he betrays and alienates his supporters by pursing more war, gaslighting them on Epstein and bringing in more of the deep state.

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4. A Terrorist Suicide Bombing in a Damascus Church Triggers a Wider Takfiri Purge of Syrian Minorities

UK Foreign Minister with Al Qaeda chief Abu Mohammed Al Jolani in Damascus July 2025

On 22 June at approximately 6:30pm during a crowded Sunday mass at Mar Elias Church in Damascus, two terrorists opened fire on the congregation and one detonated his suicide belt, murdering 27 Syrian civilians and injuring more than 60 others. The Greek Orthodox Church is located in the Christian Dweila neighbourhood of Damascus.

Eyewitness accounts and videos leaked online reported that two armed individuals approached the church and opened fire on Christians entering for Sunday Mass. Three young men from the church confronted them and forced them to the ground. One fled, and the first attacker detonated himself.

Watch the subtitled interview with one eyewitness immediately after the attack:

Mrs. Laure Al-Nasr, the wife of one of the men who confronted the terrorists, spoke about the events publicly:

Her husband Greis Bechara and his brother Boutros were among the first to confront the suicide bomber as he approached the Church during the service. According to Laure, shots were fired at the Church windows before the attacker entered, firing upon attendees and armed with a grenade.

Greis managed to kick the grenade from the bomber's hand, and his brother Boutros tackled the attacker to the ground. Moments later, the bomber detonated his explosive belt—killing the brothers instantly, along with several family members and worshippers nearby.

The Al Qaeda regime in Damascus took their time to condemn or even register the attack on Syrian Christians. When they did, they accused ISIS of the crime. They arrested what they described as an 'ISIS cell' at Kafr Batna, in the Damascus countryside, the next day.

The regime also accused the Kurdish SDF factions in the northeast of facilitating the passage of the ISIS terrorists. This tenuous claim was based on a printed schedule of diesel fuel distribution that apparently included the name of one of the attackers.

How could the Jolani-led Ahmed Al Sharaa regime be so sure that ISIS had carried out the attack? No investigation of the crime scene had been carried out. Civilians and journalists had already entered the site and had clearly tampered with potential evidence. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Interior issued their first statement at 7:50pm, less than two hours after the attack, accusing ISIS of the massacre.

It is interesting that the Jolani administration could so easily identify the perpetrator of the Dweila bombing, while months after the ethnic cleansing pogroms against Syrian minorities intensified in March 2025, they are "unable" to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice or even identify them. In the Dweila case, the ISIS cell was arrested within 24 hours. Many who saw the arrest video described it as a farcical performance and "staged".

An alleged ISIS statement was issued the next day, also unusually fast for the terror organisation. According to sources inside Syria who cannot be named for their safety, the statement contained serious doctrinal errors that suggest the statement is also false.

The word Nusayri refers only to the Alawite sect. Christians are referred to as 'Nasara' by the sectarian terrorist factions. A hardline Takfiri group like ISIS would not make such an error. It is repeated in the second paragraph: "opening fire on the Nusayri".

The statement accused Christians of declaring their loyalty to the 'new Nusayri regime'—a term given to the former (Alawite) President Assad's Government by the terrorist factions in Syria. Why would ISIS refer to Jolani's Al Qaeda regime in these terms? They know it to be false, even from an ideological standpoint. The statement even claims that Jolani or Ahmed Al Sharaa is "no different from the Nusayris and the Crusaders". While ISIS may be opposed to Jolani and what he is doing in Syria, they would not use such terminology. This level of insult would benefit Jolani because it is too easily denied.

A statement then appeared from a Takfiri group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna (SAS) taking responsibility for the attack. They accused "Christians of Damascus" of provocations that led to the attack. They referred to a previous incident where the group drove into the Christian areas demanding conversion to Islam. The perpetrator of the operation was named as Muhammad Zayn al-Abidin (Abu Uthman). The Jolani narrative was dismissed as fabricated. The group called on Syria's minorities to "repent before it is too late" and said further attacks against Christians and other minorities would be launched.

The spokesman for the Jolani-elected Ministry of Interior claimed in a press conference that no such group existed. This, however, is another lie. This is taken from a Washington Institute report on the attack:

The information known so far indicates that SAS is led by Abu Aisha al-Shami and sharia official Abu al-Fatah al-Shami. Since Assad's ouster, it has primarily focused on attacking former regime members, often publishing the names and pictures of potential assassination targets on Telegram. It also warned President Ahmed al-Sharaa's new government not to obstruct its operations, once again using Telegram to identify any officials deemed to be impeding the assassination campaign. This online "wanted list" approach could indicate that SAS is more of a decentralized network of lone actors than a formal organization.

The EU-funded Syrian Observatory of Human Rights also pinpointed the SAS faction as responsible for the attack. Sources considered reliable by SOHR identified one of the attackers as a member of Jolani's Ministry of Defence.

They are a faction that was known to have split from the Jolani/MI6-rebranded Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to follow the path of sectarian Takfiri policies after the fall of Damascus. Prior to this, it is believed the group cooperated with HTS to recruit terror cells that operated in the Assad-government protected areas.

The group accused the new HTS Government of not ruling by extreme Sharia and described it as "apostate". The group began announcing itself as an independent entity last February and carried out a series of attacks, most notably the massacre in the village of Arzeh in Hama Province. Some local sources also indicate that the group absorbed some members of the Haras Al Din or "Guardians of Religion" organisation, the former Al Qaeda branch that disbanded in January as well. It is also a long-term challenger to Jolani's power base.

The relationship between Saraya Ansar al-Sunna and ISIS is more complex. While the group shows ideological proximity to the organisation and does not mind cooperating with it, it denies full alignment. The group does, however, have a media branch known as 'Dabiq Media Foundation' which aligns, in name at least, with the ISIS English language media.

Why would Jolani try to deny the existence of SAS?

Perhaps because acknowledging their role would mean that:

1. Jolani has no control over factions inside Syria.

2. The group was formerly associated with HTS.

3. It would demonstrate the growing dissatisfaction among the more hardline Takfiri factions with Jolani's softening ideology under influence from Western intelligence agencies.

Ultimately, to accept the existence of SAS would shatter the image of Jolani as a strong-arm warlord in control of the Takfiri infested fabric of 'New Syria'. This could be fatal. As Trump's envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said recently: "[Jolani or] Sharaa's efforts to promote inclusive governance in Damascus and rebuild relations with Western powers have made him vulnerable to attacks by 'disaffected extremists'".

Since the fall of Damascus in December 2024, the attacks against Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Sunni moderates, who reject Takfiri ideology, has been on the increase in 'New Syria'. It is a reminder of the early chants that epitomised the so-called peaceful protests in Syria—"Alawites to the grave and Christians to Beirut". In 2015, an Al Jazeera host posed the question, "Do Alawites deserve genocide?" Qatar poured billions of dollars into the regime change war against Syria.

Christians and Alawites have been the target of the Takfiri ethnic cleansing project since 2011 backed by the Western regimes and intelligence agencies. While the West cries crocodile tears over the fate of Christians in the region, they arm, fund, and promote the Takfiri factions tasked with their elimination and displacement. King Charles III "was praying" for Syrian Christians post-Assad. He donated to Syria ruled by Al Qaeda. Is he ignorant of the UK-led regime change operations that are responsible for the devastation, misery, and deprivation in Syria? Or is he complicit?

I spent considerable time with Syrian Christian communities in Syria, under siege and attack by the Turkish-Israeli-US-UK-Arab Gulf State fanatics. See a few of my reports detailing how Christians were deliberately targeted and driven out of the country here, here, here, and here.

The Idlib Project Was a House of Cards Destined to Collapse Eventually

Jolani maintained a very precarious control over the hardline Takfiri factions in Idlib prior to the international coup that toppled the former Syrian Government and plunged Syria into a quagmire of sectarian violence and hatred.

Even in Idlib, Jolani employed the tactic of blaming ISIS for the assassination of dissenting voices among his close circle. From 2023-2024, a "crisis of collaboration and communication with internal and external parties" threatened the stability of HTS. Members of the HTS leadership defected and turned on Jolani. Abu Maria al-Qahtani, a senior leader in HTS, was arrested and later assassinated by a suicide belt attack. Jolani blamed the attack on ISIS. However, ISIS did not claim responsibility. Jolani's image as a brutal, merciless warlord was greatly magnified by the killing, which benefitted him tremendously and enabled him to maintain control over the Takfiri factions leading up to the coup.

Now, in 2025, with 'New Syria' reaching a boiling point of competing ideologies and savagery, how will Jolani manage the explosive situation? He is no longer in Idlib, where his actions were largely hidden from view. Now he is under the scrutiny of the world. Even those who are grooming and protecting him could turn on him at any moment if he does not fulfil their agendas. His own forces are splintering and defecting to ISIS, frustrated at Jolani's pivot towards Western values. Who will Jolani appease? The US, or the foreign Takfiris, more than 30% of his military? Israel, or the Takfiri Caliphate he promised the extremist factions under his control?

Another Idlib example that may give some insight into the Jolani mindset is the case of 'Saraya Ansar Abu Bakr al Siddiq', a group which challenged HTS dominance until it was allegedly eliminated by Jolani's forces.

The truth is a little stranger. In March 2020, Turkey and Russia signed the ceasefire agreement for north-west Syria (Idlib) and agreed to conduct joint patrols to secure the M4 arterial road which connects Aleppo to Laakia on the coast. It passed through areas controlled by Nusra Front or HTS.

These patrols were mysteriously targeted by a group calling itself 'Saraya Ansar Abu Bakr al Siddiq'. Russia stopped participating in the patrols. Then the faction targeted the Turkish patrols and military posts. Turkey stopped the patrols and partially withdrew its forces. The primary beneficiary of these patrol halts was Jolani and Al Qaeda. The organisation disappeared from view as soon as the patrols were successfully prevented, and Jolani had full dominance of the strategically important M4 corridor.

At that time, the head of HTS/Al Qaeda's security apparatus was Abu Ahmed Hudoud. Now he is rebranded as Anas Khattab, and he is the Minister of Interior in 'New Syria'. With close ties to Turkish MIT Intelligence apparatus, Khattab was known to have orchestrated many of Al Qaeda's dirty operations in Idlib.

It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to suggest that Khattab might be recruiting dissatisfied Takfiri factions to conduct ethnic cleansing operations and sectarian savagery. This way, Jolani can appease the hardliners while securing plausible deniability for HTS in the eyes of his Western backers. It enables Jolani to control the Syrian minorities through fear and oppression, while maintaining a facade of distance from the crimes committed.

Just as the West has used Jolani as a proxy to destabilise and shred the pluralist Syrian societal fabric, Jolani is now using proxy Takfiri factions to deepen the sectarian divides that barely existed before 2011.

As evidence of this "gangs and counter-gangs" theory, SAS have published an infographic showing its most recent operations. These include the Dweila Mar Elias Church attack, the execution of two young Druze men, a machine-gun attack on the shrine of Sayyeda Zeinab in Damascus, and the burning of two houses in Aleppo and Hama. The death toll from these attacks is 103: 91 in Damascus, six in Homs, four in Aleppo, one in Tartous, and one in Latakia. Below is a translation of the infographic, originally in Arabic:

On 5 July, huge fires engulfed the Latakia countryside in areas with an Alawite majority population. It is a marginalised sect that has already witnessed some of the worst crimes against Syrian civilians since Jolani took power last year. Once again, SAS took responsibility. Their aim: to expel Alawites from the area and to kill them.

Sources in Syria have told me the fires are also used to drive out any Alawites sheltering from the murderous gangs in the surrounding forests and mountainous countryside. Suddenly, the Jolani administration announced that it had arrested 16 people suspected of starting the fires in Latakia. Sound familiar?

Videos are simultaneously circulating of HTS arsonists previously setting fire to forests in Qardaha, Latakia, another more recent incident here. As much as Jolani attempts to deflect blame, the social media accounts of his militia betray him.

It is worth noting that Jolani's regime has laid off all Fire Brigade volunteers in Syria if they are not Takfiri, aka White Helmets. He has therefore deprived Syria of its most experienced and genuine firefighters at a time when forest fires traditionally rage through the coastal regions. The multi-million-funded White Helmets, an MI6 construct embedded with Al Qaeda, are nowhere to be seen in the circulating videos. Syrian civilians and farmers appear to be tackling the unprecedented fires alone with bare hands and rudimentary tools.

This, despite claims by former White Helmet chief Raed Saleh, that an emergency joint operations room had been established and around 90 teams and over 150 vehicles from Turkey and Jordan were battling the fires. He did add that efforts are "hampered by landmines, war remnants, and strong winds". All this and still 7000 hectares of forestry and farmland have been incinerated. White Helmets are notorious for fabrications that serve the agenda of Al Qaeda in Syria and their external backers. Additionally, assistance from the Russian base in Tartous has been categorically refused by the Jolani regime, according to reports from inside Syria.

On 7 July, fires raged across the coastal region. There are reports of charred bodies being found on the beaches. People are trapped, trying desperately to beat back the flames, calling for help. Nobody is coming to save them. The escape roads for civilians are being blocked by the Jolani militia, leaving Syrians to die in the inferno.

The SAS is not a minor faction. It is operating over an extensive area of Syrian territory. Syria is full of foreign intelligence agency operatives, including MI6, CIA, Turkish MIT, Mossad, and Arab Gulf States. Even Russian surveillance is still active. How can all these intelligence agencies and Jolani's security apparatus be so incompetent that they cannot apprehend or even identify this bunch of fanatics? "They don't exist?" Or they are serving the ultimate purpose of all these external and internal players?

Al Ikhbariya Channel in Syria, the now-official channel of Jolani's regime, hosted three people from the so-called National Reconciliation Committee to discuss the Mar Elias massacre. The presenter resorted to a level of sectarian discourse that was heavily criticised by the Syrian audience, not accustomed to such sectarian dialogue. One guest was repeatedly referred to as 'Christian': "Since you are a Christian" and "You, as a Christian".

One of the guests attempted to lay the blame for the attack on the other minorities facing persecution in Syria—the 'minority alliance' of Druze and Alawites. He says "the Christians are being punished" for not joining the alliance and not publicly rejecting the Jolani regime. It is another more cynical way of deflecting blame from the Jolani terror gangs and designed to cause further sectarian strife.

Watch - video of section of the interview blaming minorities (English subtitles):

Despite establishing a 'General Security' apparatus which is allegedly tasked with investigating the ethnic cleansing pogroms across Syria, Jolani has not prevented a single massacre. A recent investigation by Reuters has exposed Jolani's involvement in the bloodshed—a fact that was widely known already inside Syria. The General Security officials are invariably reported to be deliberately obstructive by Syrian civilians who have tried to report crimes to them.

Jolani is using these alleged splinter factions to ethnically cleanse Syria of almost all minorities and convert it into a Takfiri-dominated landscape, through theft, forced settlement, and mass displacement. He is being assisted by Western Intelligence agencies and, very possibly, by Briltish Private Military Contractors operating inside Syria since the fall of Damascus. This has been reported to me by sources inside Syria, but there is no hard evidence to date, except one video of an attack against the Aya Sophia church in the Christian town of Al Sqeilbiyyeh. You can clearly hear the world "beautiful" said with a British accent when a gunman takes aim at the church.

This project can be compared to the Nakba of 1948, the Zionist massacres, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes and land. The Zionist militia were also trained in 'best' ethnic cleansing practices by 'sympathetic' British military officers. Jolani has been shadowed by MI6-linked operatives for years now. They have groomed him for power. He is expected to deliver on the road map designed, not for the benefit of Syria and Syrians, but for the security and expansion of Israel and the Western alliance. It is an alliance seeking to regain dominance in the region and to destroy the Resistance that threatens their neo-colonialist predation, by any means at their disposal.

Father Malatios Shattahi, Director General of the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development at the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, said after the church bombing in Dweila: "We are no longer subjected to individual acts, but rather organized institutional acts, and the state did not protect us".

Watch - video of Father Malatios:

Clearly, the Mar Elias attack was a trigger for more widespread aggression against Christians in Syria. A video was circulating on social media of graffiti on the wall of a church in the village of Kafrbo in the Hama countryside: "your turn is coming". A pamphlet was published threatening churches in Hama, Sqeilbiyyeh, Mhardeh, and the Monastery of Saint Kafrbahm. Disturbing videos were made public justifying the bombing of Sunday Mass as the Takfiri war against the 'infidels'. A Jolani 'General Security' official publicly called the crime a 'martyrdom operation', elevating the criminals to martyr status—a holy war against apostates. Another General Security militant mocked the victims of the bombing on his Facebook page.

On 6 July, pamphlets were distributed across Syria calling for the massacre of Christians and non-Takfiris. Examples are below:

O people of al-Sham (Syria), burn the bodies of the cross-worshipers, gouge out their eyes, so that al-Sham remains Umayyad, and no unbeliever remains in it.

O sons of the Muslims (Takfiri)

Do not abstain from destroying the homes of the Christians, slaughtering their children, and taking their women.

Their lands are your lawful spoil, and their wealth is your booty.

So hasten to jihad today before tomorrow.

On 7 July, Christian and Alawite residents of Safita, a town inland from Tartous on the coast, received threats from the 'imaginary' SAS group.

ISIS flags on sale in Damascus markets

As a friend in Syria said to me recently: 'When ISIS flags are openly sold in the markets of Damascus, we should not be surprised by these bombings, nor should we wonder where these ISIS elements came from. When the official Ministry of Defence personnel wear ISIS flags on their uniforms, who is really ISIS?"

Collage of ISIS patches on HTS General Security uniforms

The Mar Elias attack affected Syrian Christians profoundly. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, John X. Yazigi, delivered a powerful rebuke at the funeral of the victims. He criticised the lukewarm response from Jolani's representatives and from Jolani himself:

We are an integral component of this nation, and we are here to stay.

Let me remind you: The two Archbishops of Aleppo, Boulos and Youhanna, were kidnapped, and much was said at the time. The Maaloula nuns were also kidnapped. And here we still are. The heinous crime was committed the day before yesterday, and we will remain here.

Abrogating Responsibility and Building a Takfiri State

Jolani has used the scatter technique to attribute blame to the SDF, ISIS, and the Syrian minorities via his media institutions while shielding the true killers within his administration from justice. The Christian victims were barely mourned, marginalised even in death.

Arab political analyst Myriam Charabaty (based in Lebanon) wrote this on X: "HTS is not a protector. It is the very force driving this violence. There is no peace, and there never will be, without resistance. Resistance is not an option. It is the only path".

A Syrian analyst told me:

Everything that happens in terms of violations in Syria is a message to all components and minorities with the aim of imposing a comprehensive demographic change. One that facilitates the reshaping of the region in the future. When discrimination is made between the blood of Syrians, this is a positive indicator for terrorist organisations and a negative indicator for Syrians who do not live by this sectarian code.

What is happening now in Syria is the deliberate recycling of terrorist waste that was defeated and contained by the 14 years of Syrian Allied Resistance against their sectarian barbarism. When ISIS was weakened, it re-emerged under the banner of Jabhat Al Nusra or the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, but the ISIS ideology remained embedded in the minds of the militia. The rebranding campaigns by Western Intelligence agencies facilitate this terrorist survival and renaissance regionally. All Syrian cities and vast swathes of countryside are now infested by these Takfiri cells, with no central control or impediment to their bloodlust.

Some of the bloodiest battles were fought between ISIS and Nusra Front. Yes, they are sworn enemies, and yet many HTS terrorists are defecting to ISIS due to frustration with Jolani's Western-facing policies, his false promises to liberate Jerusalem, his assurances to Trump of normalisation with Israel, his offer of occupied Golan to the Zionists, his regional pacifism, and chameleonism to preserve his authority in an increasingly chaotic environment. These terrorists, especially foreign Takfiri, do not recognise borders, they did not come to Syria to fight for a 'democratic state' but for a borderless Takfiri Caliphate. Jolani now stands in their way.

The collective West and its regional allies claimed, for 14 years, that they were supporting democratic 'rebels' to overthrow a dictator. Nobody should be surprised that their intention, all along, was to drag Syria back to a regressive dark age, impose a Takfiri dictatorship and dismantle all semblance of political sovereignty from Syria and Syrians. The blood that is now being shed by their assets in Syria is on their hands. Every single one of the lying, duplicitous politicians, journalists, regime leaders, academics, NGOs and low-grade representatives that sold this concept both to Syrians and to Western populations should be on trial in The Hague.

Watch - David Lammy on X, talking about the Al Qaeda hellhole that the UK helped create:

As the pamphlets calling for the slaughter of Syrian Christians and minorities were being distributed across Syria, UK's Foreign Minister David Lammy was shaking hands with Jolani in Damascus and holding meetings with Al Qaeda Foreign Minister, Asaad Al Shaibani (co-founder of Al Qaeda in Syria). As Glenn Jenkins pointed out on X, did Lammy question Jolani about the 'ISIS' executions of British Aid workers in 2014? The British Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, said, "they are not Muslims, they are monsters". They are monsters, agreed, but they are monsters the UK created and are still legitimising—while the monsters continue to burn, rape and pillage Syrian minority communities. Lammy pledged a further £95 million to fund terrorism in Syria. As I said on X, Global Britain polishes the shoes of their terrorist assets in Syria while declaring Palestine Action terrorists for preventing genocide by terrorists in Israel. It's not 'little Britain'; it's 'little Israel'.

I will leave you with the words of Maria Saadeh, a Syrian Christian and independent Parliament member before the Takfiri regime came to power:

It seems the shallow cowboy culture has taken over your deep-rooted legacies, selling them out for oil, gas, and rare minerals. You are all destroying humanity with your actions, delivering the ancient and noble people of Syria to slaughter, just as Judas handed over Christ, the very architect of your civilizations and values.

Today, we are ashamed, and all of humanity should be ashamed, that you have empowered internationally recognized terrorists to govern the world's oldest and most historic cities. What kind of people are you, so ignorant of your own history and devoid of humanity?!

You all united to bring down Great Syria, Sacred Syria—Syria of Palestine and Lebanon, Syria of Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, and Jaffa, and its vast extension.

***

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5. Tony Blair Institute designing concentration camps in Gaza and the Jolani 'Greater Syria' project for Israel

Tony Blair Global Institute employees have been identified by the Financial Times as collaborators in the Zionist concentration camp plan for Palestinians in Gaza. TBI initially denied all involvement but were then shown group messages that included their participation. It should be no surprise that Blair is up to his eyes in the ongoing Zionist genocide in Palestine.

The article reveals the US industry interests in Saudi $ 1.3 trillion rare-earth minerals which would become available with access from the proposed "Gaza free-trade zone" once the Palestinians have been driven out, debt-enslaved, starved or bombed into oblivion. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Ikea, IHG Hotels have already shown an interest in investing in the 'New' Gaza - Egypt, of course, is eyeing up the $53 billion reconstruction budget put forward by the Arab League. I am sure I don't need to say, all these interested parties in picking profits from the carcasses of Palestinians should be boycotted and shamed publicly.

What my report demonstrates is that this plan did not begin yesterday - it began during Trump's first administration 2016 - 2020 (and probably way before that).

Jolani is proposing a Greater Syria project to annex one third of Lebanon in the north. This actually serves the Greater Israel Project. The deal that Jolani has allegedly put on the table for the Zionists is not in the interests of Syria or of Lebanon or of the Resistance - it is Jolani's payback to the US and Israel, for bringing him to power.

Anyone who thinks the long war is over is not paying attention to the Zionist alliance strategy right now..

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6. Vanessa Beeley: How the US Lost the Plot in Syria and Iran

In this interview, British journalist and activist Vanessa Beeley joins me to unpack the hidden battles shaping the Middle East.

We discuss:

✅ How the US lost strategic ground in Iran

✅ The real winners and losers in the recent Iran-Israel conflict

✅ Israel's shifting military focus after ceasefires with Hezbollah and Iran

✅ Trump-era policies and why Washington has lost credibility in nuclear negotiations

✅ China and Russia's quiet but pivotal roles in the region

✅ The parallels between Syria and Afghanistan's past

✅ South Asia's growing influence on Iran Israel conflict.

Vanessa draws on her years living in Syria and her deep geopolitical insights to reveal how the region's shadow wars are reshaping global power structures. Don't miss this candid conversation on the future of West Asia and the shifting world order.

Follow Kianistan on YouTube and check out their website.

***

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7. Iran and Its ‘Ring of Fire’

Did Iran Create or Cooperate with Regional Resistance?

Resistance to the Imperialist project in the West Asia (Middle East) region has deep historical and cultural roots for the people of the region. It was never exclusive to any religion; it was linked to an Arab identity and civilisation. The modern-day dominance of an Islamic Resistance is a phenomenon that is relatively recent and should not be seen through a sectarian lens, as it remains inclusive of all sects and ideologies. Religion and culture have historically encouraged a path to justice, defence of territorial integrity, regional identity, and human dignity. An early example is Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, Syria, who defied Roman occupation and resisted until her death.

As empires and social structure in the region evolved, the resistance evolved into a structure of state-led and popular movements. Various grassroots groups emerged, especially in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Initially, this was in response to the Sykes-Picot generation of British and French colonialism, and later to American and British-Zionist occupations. Non-state Resistance actors also grew out of the inability of some Arab nations to wage direct wars with the Zionist occupation forces for a multitude of reasons. The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran changed the status quo by legitimising resistance ideology and supporting these factions, enabling them to evolve and fortify their military capability.

In 1936, the Great Palestinian Revolt against British Mandate rule was brutally crushed. This paved the way for the 1948 Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by British-trained Haganah terrorist forces. This led to the establishment of the so-called State of Israel on Palestinian land.

After Arab armies were unable to liberate Palestine in 1948, Palestinians and Arabs launched a number of Resistance initiatives which were on both sides of the political spectrum, both left-and right-wing. The most notable was Fatah, which began armed operations from Lebanon and Jordan in 1965. Others soon followed: the Popular Front, the Democratic Front, and the People's Party, and later Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and various popular committees.

After Israel's 1978 invasion of South Lebanon, new Lebanese resistance groups formed. These included the Lebanese National Resistance Front—a leftist coalition formed in 1982, led by the Lebanese Communist Party and the Organization for Communist Action—and the Shiite Amal Movement, founded in 1974. Hezbollah later emerged in the 1980s in response to the Zionist invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the heinous Zionist-orchestrated massacre of Sabra and Shatila. The Zionists were driven out of Lebanese land by Hezbollah in 2000 and Hezbollah became the de facto political and military authority in the south. Hezbollah's deployment was backed by Syria which, at the time, controlled politics and security in Lebanon with around 15,000 troops on the ground.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution led to Iran adopting a firm ideological stance against Western imperialism and proxy occupation forces in the region. As a result, Iran began supporting indigenous resistance movements, both directly and indirectly. These groups were never seen as 'proxies', but as allies, and support was not based on sect, but on their opposition to occupation. Iran supported the Palestinian Sunni Muslim Resistance factions without hesitation based on these principles.

The Resistance movements were formed organically in response to the brutality and tyranny of the occupying forces backed by the Western Imperialist bloc. Iran did not create them as some form of outreach for Iranian expansionism, as is often claimed by Western 'think tanks' and regimes.

Shared interests united the state and non-state actors across the region. This is a natural reaction to Western-dominated hegemony, resource piracy, and ethnic supremacy. These Resistance factions became key partners in what became to be known as the 'Ring of Fire', a defensive strategy for Iran and its allies, not a network of subordinates. Even in Iraq, resistance groups only emerged after the two US-led Gulf Wars, not before, when the Iraqi Saddam Hussein regime was persecuting Shia communities and going to war against Iran. These resistance groups further strengthened when battling Western-proxy ISIS, in Iraq, after the start of the regime change war against Syria in 2011.

Meeting the legendary Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Iraq, November 2017. Photo Credit: Vanessa Beeley.

In November 2017, the author met with the former leader of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, in Iraq, with a media delegation. In 2020, this visionary, an engineer by trade and a legendary commander, was assassinated alongside IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani. It was a first step, by Donald Trump, to weaken Iran. During the meeting, al-Mohandes told us:

The US did not supply a single bullet to fight ISIS.

The US tanks had no ammunition. There were 12 Apache helicopters, whose only mission was to evacuate US diplomats from the green zone in the event of ISIS succeeding in entering Baghdad.

When the Sinjar Mountain massacre and abduction of thousands of Yazidi men took place in August 2014, the US planes did nothing against ISIS. Only Iran, according to Al Mohandes, stepped up and prevented an even greater bloodbath, allowing Hashed (PMF) forces to liberate 300,000 Yazidis.

This is a perfect example of why the Resistance is necessary: to prevent slaughter, occupation, and persecution by Western proxy forces in the region, Israel included.

Following are the major resistance movements and armed factions allied with Iran.

Lebanon

While the Amal Movement maintains a trained military wing and strong ties with Iran, Hezbollah stands as the most powerful and committed ally. Initially backed by Syria, Iran later took the lead in providing substantial financial, military, and political support, enabling Hezbollah to develop into a professional military force.

Hezbollah comprises two main branches: a political wing and a military wing. The political wing handles strategic direction, political engagement, and manages educational, healthcare, and social institutions to serve ALL Lebanese communities, regardless of sect or political affiliation. Hezbollah participates in elections, holds parliamentary seats, and plays an influential role in Lebanese politics. This, despite best efforts by the US and Israel to remove Hezbollah from the political scene in Lebanon.

The military wing is estimated to have over 100,000 fighters, potentially up to 150,000, according to some sources. It has a number of regional units. According to Zionist and Western think-tank research, Lebanon hosts five key regional units.

• Nasr Unit: Operates in southern Lebanon, from the Israeli border to the Litani River.

• Badr Unit: Covers the area from north of the Litani to Sidon.

• Aziz Unit: Operates from southeastern Lebanon to western Beqaa.

• Haider Unit: Active in central Beqaa, Baalbek, and Hermel.

• Unnamed Unit: Located in Beirut's southern suburbs.

• Regional Operatives: Oversee theaters such as Syria and Palestine—Israel labels this 'Unit 133'.

Functionally, Hezbollah's structure includes:

• Rocket Unit: Focused on improving missile accuracy.

• Anti-Armor Unit: Specialises in destroying Israeli tanks; its effectiveness was notable during the 2006 war.

• Artillery Unit: Handles mortars, self-propelled guns, and rocket launchers to support infantry operations.

• Air Force Unit: Operates reconnaissance and combat drones.

• Air Defence Unit: Defends Lebanese airspace against Israeli aircraft; a member shot down an Israeli 'Yasur' helicopter in 2006.

• Armoured and Tank Unit: Formed during the regime change war against Syria, this unit saw extensive combat, from Qusayr to the Qalamoun battles.

• Intervention and Special Forces – Radwan Unit: Known for elite offensive capabilities; key in the Syria war and tasked with capturing northern Israel in any future conflict.

• Abbas Brigades: Similar in function to Radwan, specialising in offensive ground combat.

• Naval Unit: Equipped with anti-ship missiles, speedboats, mini-submarines, and naval commandos. Credited with striking three Israeli naval vessels in 2006.

• Cyber Unit: Engages in electronic warfare and cyber operations, often blamed for attacks on Israeli infrastructure.

• Security Unit: Oversees internal and external intelligence and protects personnel and sites.

• Training Unit: Manages educational curricula and military camps.

• Operations Unit: Runs central and regional command centres. Equivalent to CENTCOM.

• Planning and Research Unit: Develops strategic plans and studies.

• Finance Unit: Manages military finances.

• Logistics and Supply Unit: Provides vehicles, weapons, and logistical support in both war and peace.

• Engineering Unit: Specialises in explosives, landmines, and ambushes—famous for the Al-Otaybah ambush.

• Communications Unit: Runs Hezbollah's wired and wireless network; its dismantling triggered the May 7 conflict with the Lebanese Government in 2008.

• Combat Medical Unit: Provides frontline medical care.

• War Media Unit: Handles media and psychological warfare and archives Hezbollah's communications output.

Palestine

Palestinian resistance factions differ in ideology and strategy. Some, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, adopt Islamic frameworks, while others, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), follow Marxist-leftist doctrines. Most of the larger groups emphasise armed resistance, whereas factions like Fatah, particularly after the Oslo Accords, shifted toward political negotiation, eventually becoming adversarial to the resistance and taking administrative control of the West Bank, effectively an ally of the Zionist regime.

Despite longstanding internal divisions, Palestinian factions succeeded in forming a Joint Operations Room in 2006, which expanded by 2018 to include multiple factions under the name Joint Room of Palestinian Resistance Factions'. The iconic Commander Yahya Sinwar described it as "the nucleus of a liberation army and a model for unified action". Its military effectiveness became most evident following the October 7, 2023 operation.

Hamas

Hamas was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada. It is considered the most influential faction committed to armed resistance against Israel. Its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is among the most powerful in Palestine. Hamas is based primarily in Gaza but maintains a presence in the West Bank, especially in the beleaguered refugee camps, where its popularity has soared since October 7th.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, a major military assault that stunned Israel and prompted responses from other factions and regional fronts. Structurally, Hamas resembles Hezbollah, featuring both political and military wings—though with smaller numbers and lighter armament. In response to the claims that 'Israel created Hamas', which is a reductionist argument at best and undermines the agency of Palestinian resistance at worst, there are a number of online articles and interviews available to challenge this popular narrative.

The Palestinian resistance arsenal ranges from short-range Qassam rockets (15 km) to R-160 (160 km) and Ayyash (250 km), which are originally Syrian-made and now locally produced. Hamas also possesses anti-tank guided weapons like the Kornet, Yasin rocket, Konkurs, North Korean Fagot (Phoenix), and Sagger missiles. It also has anti-aircraft systems (e.g., SAM-7) and reconnaissance and combat drones (e.g., Zouari drones).

Hamas maintains over 50,000 fighters, organized into regional brigades and battalions, each led by a local commander:

• North Gaza Brigade: 7 combat battalions, including an elite unit

• Gaza Brigade: 7 combat battalions (merged sectors)

• Central Brigade: 5 combat battalions, with elite units

• Khan Younis Brigade: 6 combat battalions, including elite units

• Rafah Brigade: 5 battalions, including elite units

Each brigade includes specialised units:

• Commando (Elite) Unit: Highly trained for special operations, supported by intelligence and numbering around 5,000 fighters.

• Anti-Armor Unit: Targets Israeli tanks and APCs using RPG-7, Kornet, Yasin-105, and Shuwaz series IEDs. Credited with destroying Merkava tanks and Namer vehicles.

• Signals Unit: Manages all communication—wired and wireless—and built a secure wired network for battlefield and tunnel use. This network was a target in Israel's failed Operation Sword's Edge, during which commander Nour al-Din Baraka was martyred.

Other specialised units include:

• Engineering

• Air Defence

• Artillery

• Snipers

• Martyrdom Operations

• Support

• Recruitment and Morale

• Manufacturing

• Ambush

• Rocket

• Cyber

• Drone Warfare

In 2014, Hamas revealed its naval commando (frogmen) unit during the Gaza conflict. In 2016, it announced a 'Shadow Unit' responsible for guarding captured enemy soldiers. During the 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood operation, it unveiled the 'Falcon Squadron' of its airborne elite military brigade.

Islamic Jihad

Founded in October 1981, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) emerged from the same ideological roots as Hamas, but it evolved independently. It remains committed to armed struggle as the sole path to liberation. Its military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, operates primarily in Gaza, but also maintains an active presence in the West Bank, especially in areas like Jenin and Hebron.

The Al-Quds Brigades are among the largest and most developed military factions in Palestine. They have advanced their domestically produced weapons systems, including:

• Short-range rockets: Quds, Fajr, and Buraq variants with ranges up to 120 km

• Reconnaissance and attack drones: notably the Jenin model

• Multiple rocket launchers and rapid-fire systems

The group's operations span Gaza, the West Bank, parts of Israel, and even southern Lebanon. It commands an estimated 30,000 fighters, distributed across its various operational areas.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades

Although Fatah officially abandoned armed resistance, especially after Mahmoud Abbas took leadership and dissolved its military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades re-emerged in 2021. This followed the Battle of Sword of Jerusalem and tensions in Sheikh Jarrah, marking a resurgence after 16 years of demilitarisation in the West Bank.

The revitalised brigades absorbed several affiliated groups, including:

• Nidal al-Amoudi Brigade

• Army of the Storm

• Martyr Ayman Judeh Group

• Abdul Qader al-Husseini Battalions

They have since played a notable role in Gaza-based military confrontations.

Other Armed Factions Aligned with Iran or Independent

Several other groups remain active in Palestine, maintaining distinct ideological and military structures. These include:

• Popular Resistance Committees; armed wing: Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades

• Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine; military wing: National Resistance Brigades

• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; military wing: Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades

• PFLP – General Command; military wing: Jihad Jibril Brigades

• Palestinian Freedom Movement; military wing: Ansar Brigades

• Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (a Fatah offshoot); military wing: Mujahideen Brigades

Yemen The Yemeni Army and Popular Committees

The official Yemeni Army consists of four main branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defence Forces, Naval and Coastal Defence Forces, and Border Guard Forces, in addition to Strategic Reserve Forces, which include Special Operations, Presidential Guard, and Missile Brigades. The total personnel is estimated at around 80,000. Its military assets include:

• 11 mechanized infantry brigades

• 14 armoured brigades

• 10 air defence brigades

• 2 naval brigades

• 6 missile and artillery brigades

• 8 aviation brigades

• 30 infantry brigades

• Along with 3 naval bases, air police brigades, and radar units

In early 2015, the Saudi-led coalition, supported by the US, UAE, and other Arab and Western nations, launched a war on Yemen under the name 'Operation Decisive Storm'. The Yemeni Army, alongside the Popular Committees which are tribal militias, historically aligned with the army against foreign intervention, resisted this campaign. Brigadier General Yahya Saree serves as the official spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces.

Ansar Allah: Known in Western Media as the 'Houthis'

The story of Ansar Allah is long and shaped by six wars with President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces in Yemen. Ansar Allah have been historically opposed to Saudi, US, Western, and Israeli influence. They later engaged in one of the most brutal modern wars against the Saudi-led coalition, which aimed to dismantle the movement. Instead, Ansar Allah turned adversity, blockades and immense hardship into momentum. Their support base expanded, their military industry developed, and their ideological commitment hardened, earning them a reputation as barefoot fighters defeating a coalition of regional powers.

You can read a number of articles about the unlawful war of aggression against the Yemeni people here, here, here, and here. An excellent book by Dr. Isa Blumi called Destroying Yemen is also recommended.

Structurally, Ansar Allah resembles Hezbollah but with distinct local adaptations. They have a full political wing and a military apparatus organised into brigades and specialised combat units. This foundation positions them as potential future rulers of Yemen, a prospect that alarms Gulf, Zionist and Western powers. Though exact numbers are unknown, estimates suggest a minimum of 500,000 fighters, many of whom are highly trained. Local footage shows commando forces modelled on Hezbollah's Radwan Unit.

Their most significant capability is their missile arsenal and indigenous missile development program. These include cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic systems. Ranges vary from the 70 km Tochka to the Toufan, which reaches 2,000 km with an 800 kg warhead. The latter was used against Israel, successfully evading the multiple layers of US and Israeli air defences. Trump recently let it slip that Yemen produced its own missiles, which contradicts the oft-repeated line that Yemen is an Iranian 'proxy' dependent upon Iran for its missile stocks.

Ansar Allah also deploy a wide range of drones, from reconnaissance to attack and loitering munitions. The Samad series has operational ranges from 150 to 2,500 km.

Their naval forces are among their most strategic assets. They possess fast attack boats such as Asif, Malah, and Nadheer. These are capable of launching 107 mm Katyusha rockets and carrying medium to light weapons, with some equipped with air defence systems. They also operate extremely effective unmanned surface vehicle (USV) boats for combat and maritime surveillance.

The group has publicly declared possession of various naval mines, including the Masjour, Thaqib, Karrar, and Mujahid types. These underwater explosives are designed to damage or destroy surface vessels or submarines. Each model varies in activation method and depth tolerance.

Ansar Allah also possess Rubezh missiles, a Russian-made coastal defence system that uses Kh-35UI anti-ship missiles with a 260 km range. These sea-skimming missiles fly close to the water surface to evade radar, carrying a 145 kg high-explosive warhead designed to penetrate a ship's hull before detonating.

The group has also developed its own anti-ship missiles, such as Tankeel, Hatim, Faleq, and Sayyad; they are cruise missiles guided by radar or infrared seekers with ranges between 200–400 km, closely resembling Iranian designs. Additionally, their Quds-4 ground-attack cruise missile is capable of engaging land and sea targets at up to 800 km, based on Iranian-developed technology transferred to Yemen.

Ansar Allah's Air Defence

Ansar Allah have demonstrated remarkable air defence capabilities by shooting down multiple U.S. drones in recent years. Among them was the MQ-9 Reaper, a long-endurance strike drone capable of flying 27 hours at over 15 km altitude.

They repurposed Russian air-to-air missiles, such as the AA-10 Alamo-B and AA-11, converting them into surface-to-air missiles. The AA-10, originally designed for 4th generation Russian fighters like the MiG-29 and Su-35, became one of Ansar Allah's most used systems since 2017. It is very effective against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones, and was deployed in ambushes deep inside Yemen's mountainous terrain to intercept low-altitude targets.

The Wa'id drone, with a range of 2,500 km, is an example of long-range loitering munitions, designed to overwhelm enemy defences with coordinated salvos of five or more drones.

Although Iran provided the foundational technology, as it did with Hezbollah, Ansar Allah have localised production in mountain-based facilities. Their advanced missiles are manoeuvrable and semi-stealth, increasing the likelihood of striking targets despite not being pinpoint accurate. From a cost-benefit standpoint, the loss of a few drones or missiles is negligible compared to the potential damage inflicted on Israeli or U.S. warships.

Iraq

Iraq hosts a diverse set of armed factions with substantial military and political influence. These include Iran-backed Shiite groups, former anti-ISIS militias, anti-US resistance forces, and armed Sunni and Kurdish groups. The most prominent among them are organised under the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-sanctioned umbrella formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.

1. Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH)

• Fighters: 10,000–15,000

• Armament: Medium to heavy weapons and ballistic missiles

• Leader: Qais al-Khazali

• Influence: Strong in Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, and Muthanna

• Political arm: Fatah Alliance

2. Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH)

• Fighters: 5,000–10,000

• Armament: Drones andprecision missiles

• Leader: Abu Ali al-Askari (succeeded Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in 2020)

• Influence: Baghdad, Diyala, and the Syria border

3. Saraya al-Salam (formerly Mahdi Army)

• Fighters: 5,000–8,000

• Leader: Muqtada al-Sadr

• Influence: Sadr City (Baghdad), Najaf, and Diwaniyah

4. Harakat al-Nujaba

• Fighters: 3,000–5,000

• Armament: Advanced missiles, intel units

• Leader: Akram al-Kaabi

• Influence: Baghdad, Karbala, Anbar

• Formed the Golan Liberation Brigade during its presence in Syria (estimated 3,000 fighters), but the collapse of Damascus halted its activity.

5. Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada

• Fighters: 2,000–4,000

• Leader: Abu Alaa al-Walae

• Active in Baghdad and Diyala.

6. Badr Organization (formerly Badr Corps)

• Fighters: 10,000+

• Leader: Hadi al-Amiri

• Political wing: Part of the Fatah Alliance

• Influence: Baghdad, Basra, and Diyala

7. Saraya al-Khorasani

• Fighters: 1,000–3,000

• Operates under PMF

Following the assassinations of Commanders Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani in 2020, ordered by President Trump, new anti-colonialist resistance factions emerged, targeting American forces and interests. Though smaller, they play an active role in drone and missile attacks, particularly after the Palestinian Al-Aqsa Flood operation. They launched strikes from Iraq and inside Syria against US and Israeli targets, serving as a regional support front.

These groups include Kata'ib Hezbollah Iraq, Islamic Resistance Squadrons, Wa'ad al-Sadiq Corps, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr Forces, Imam Hussein Brigade, Zulfiqar Brigade, Qassem al-Jabareen Resistance, Ashab al-Kahf Resistance, Saraya Awliya al-Dam, International Resistance Faction, Second 20th Revolution Brigades, Usbat al-Thaireen, Ulul Azm Group, Sabiqun Battalion, Khaybar Brigade, Thaer al-Muhandis Group, Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces, Saraya al-Muntaqim, Martyr Karim Darham Group, Montaqimoun Brigade, and Thaireen Brigade.

In 2021 alone, these groups carried out an estimated 262 attacks on US forces or logistics convoys in Iraq, using IEDs.

Also active is the Tribal PMF, a Sunni-aligned pro-government force. This faction is large, but it lacks organisation and operates mainly in Anbar and Salah al-Din Provinces alongside the regular Iraqi Army.

In summary, Iran-backed Shiite groups remain the most powerful, while Christian, Sunni and Kurdish factions maintain influence in their respective regions.

Afghanistan Hezbollah Afghanistan

Hezbollah Afghanistan is a Shiite political party established in 1980 as part of the 'Tehran Eight', which is a coalition of Iran-allied Afghan resistance groups. It fought against Soviet and Afghan government forces during the Soviet-Afghan war (1979–1989). It became a legal political party in 2005 and developed close ties with Liwa Fatemiyoun, an Iran-linked Afghan militia.

Though it shares a name, Hezbollah Afghanistan has no direct link to Lebanon's Hezbollah, apart from both being aligned with Iran. It remains active in Afghan politics, advocating for Shiite interests. Some researchers argue Hezbollah Afghanistan and Liwa Fatemiyoun have merged; others see them as separate but cooperative entities.

Liwa Fatemiyoun

Liwa Fatemiyoun is a Shiite Afghan militia founded in 2014 by Ali Reza Tavasoli (Abu Hamed) to fight ISIS. It is funded, trained, and directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tavasoli died fighting the Western-Al-Qaeda-assets in southern Syria, 2015.

Estimates place the group's strength at around 14,000 fighters, as stated by deputy commander Sayyed Hassan Hosseini ('Sayyed Hakim'). The group fought in Syria, specifically Deir ez-Zor and Al-Bukamal in late 2017, as part of a joint Iran-Syria-Russia campaign against ISIS, a Western asset, in eastern Syria. This was one occasion when Syria-aligned forces collaborated with the US-backed Kurdish militia gathered on the opposite bank of the Euphrates River.

Liwa Fatemiyoun uses light to medium weaponry including rifles, sniper systems, 23mm cannons, RPGs, and anti-tank guided missiles.

Pakistan Liwa Zainabiyoun

This is a Pakistani Shiite militia comprising recruits from Parachinar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with some of Baloch origin. Initially, they were deployed to Syria in 2013 to defend the Sayyida Zaynab shrine, now under attack by the Al Qaeda Jolani regime (Ahmed Al Sharaa). Originally they were associated with Liwa Fatemiyoun, but later formed their own splinter unit.

Liwa Zainabiyoun now has around 5,000 fighters, with experience in Damascus, Daraa, Latakia, and Aleppo, playing a crucial role in several key battles. The group is universally respected for its professional combat skills.

Additional Cross-Border Factions

Iraqi resistance groups have extended support to other emerging resistance movements:

• Islamic Resistance in Jordan: Reportedly includes members from the Muslim Brotherhood.

• Islamic Resistance in the Arabian Peninsula: Composed of Hijaz (Saudi) Shiites from the Qatif region.

• Saraya al-Ashtar in Bahrain: Known as the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain.

While little information is available, all three have claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Israeli military sites in 2024. All three are challengers to sectarian tyranny in their respective countries and are steadfast supporters of the Palestinian cause.

Syria Southern Syria Resistance Units

Following the 2006 Lebanon War, the Syrian Government, working with Hezbollah, established Resistance cells along the occupied Golan Heights. Syrian intelligence oversaw recruitment. The Syrian Arab Army provided training facilities, and Hezbollah handled combat preparation.

Estimates place these forces at 20,000–30,000 fighters, mostly Syrian locals. Their intended mission was, eventually, to storm the Zionist-occupied Golan in coordination with Hezbollah's Radwan Unit. The plan, initially planned for 2013–2015, was shelved due to the US/UK-led regime change war against Syria launched in 2011.

After the fall of the Syrian Government on 8 December 2024, the fate of these fighters remains unknown. Most likely, some relocated to southern Lebanon, while others remain hidden in Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda in southern Syria.

In addition, an estimated 60-80,000 Syrian Army officers and soldiers escaped to Iraq. These were experienced combatants previously stationed in the Syrian desert to fight ISIS. A further large number of SAA are now in Lebanon.

Conclusion: Can Iran Rely on the 'Ring of Fire'?

Below is a map from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) of US bases threatening Iran's borders.

While much is made about the fact that US military bases are circling Iran with hostile intent, little is said about the Iran-aligned 'Ring of Fire' that effectively surrounds the US bases in the region. This came to light during the most recent Zionist aggression against Iran, when we saw the commitment of these Resistance groups to the defence of Iran and antipathy to the US military occupation of the region. These groups closed ranks in the war against the 'arrogant powers' very quickly, threatening US allied hegemony in the region.

Assessing the power and influence of these Resistance groups requires an understanding of both their strength and the factors shaping their decisions. A key strength lies in their adaptability and ability to evolve under political and logistical constraints.

Some groups, however, are limited by domestic political dynamics. Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite possessing over 150,000 rockets, many of them precision-guided and within close range of Israel (reducing the Iron Dome's reaction time), cannot launch an open war without precise political calculations. Many Lebanese, including pro-Western factions, oppose such action and would blame Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into war—an outcome Israel and the US actively encourage.

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) face similar restrictions in a country divided by competing political agendas. Even Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainabiyoun, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are limited in numbers and do not have the majority of popular support in their respective countries.

Nonetheless, despite the collapse of Syria as the backbone of the Resistance Axis, previously Iran's key strategic ally, and heavy losses suffered by Hezbollah and Palestinian groups, the 'Ring of Fire' remains operational and potent. Estimates suggest:

• Palestinian factions: at least 50,000 short-range rockets

• Hezbollah: at least 100,000 short-to-mid-range rockets

• Iraqi factions: around 100,000 rockets

• Yemen: approximately 150,000 rockets

• Iran itself: at least 300,000 missiles of various types

In total, Zionist and American bases in the region are surrounded by a conservative estimate of 700,000 rockets, including ballistic and hypersonic missiles, already proven effective and accurate in recent conflicts. Iran is a producer of these missiles on an industrial scale. Yemen has a successful missile production capability, and even Hezbollah is not entirely reliant upon Iran for the manufacture of weapons.

Yemen may now represent the most significant strategic force in this equation, thanks to its powerful arsenal, difficult terrain making ground invasion nearly impossible, and control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.

Yemen's impact became undeniable following Trump's fumbled ceasefire agreement which he sold as a Yemeni surrender but which was, in reality, a capitulation from the US after $1 billion in military expenditure on a failed military mission to 'destroy the Houthis'.

What Ansar Allah achieved wasn't only a tactical success; it also marked a strategic global power shift and a major slap in the face of American military doctrine and marketed supremacy.

Perhaps the most important element in the long war against Iran is the recent potential for a Jihad 'Fatwa' spoken about by prominent Islamic scholars, against the US and the Zionist regimes. This is from Enemy Watch on Telegram:

Currently, the situation has evolved such that three prominent authorities in the Shia world, each in their own way, have warned about the potential issuance of a jihad fatwa against the United States and the Zionist regime.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani, in response to threats from the US and Israel, warned that if the assault on the Marja'iyya (religious authority) and Leader of the Ummah (Imam Khamenei) continues, inevitably a jihad fatwa will be issued.

The history of Shia jurisprudence shows that whenever the Marja'iyya has been threatened, a fatwa was issued and the Ummah rose up. From the Tobacco Protest to resistance against ISIS, from the Constitutional Revolution to the occupation of Iraq, the Marja'iyya has never remained silent.

The battle lines have been drawn. Iran's 'Ring of Fire' remains active and powerful despite recent losses across the region, particularly in Syria. It still poses an imminent and serious challenge to US and Zionist dominance and expansionism in the region, and above all, it is an unassailable barrier against the long-term agenda to destroy Iran and impose a Zionist-friendly regime in the country.

***

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8. The gathering storm in Lebanon while Zionist genocide takes on new dimensions

In the next few days we are likely to see terrorist (Jolani-generated) attacks in Lebanon, particularly in the areas south of Beirut, the suburbs of Dahyeh - during Ashura, one of the most holy days in the Islamic year. There is also high risk of a Zionist attack from the occupied Golan using the occupied Syrian Mount Hermon as a surveillance and military base.

The talk inside Lebanon is of preparation for increased conflict and Takfiri attacks both inside and from the eastern borders with Syria, now saturated with foreign Takfiri mercanaries working under Jolani and Israel. Yesterday, the Zionists intensively bombed southern Lebanon and assassinated a possible Iranian commander (not confirmed yet) in a drone strike on a car on the motorway from Beirut to the south. Three others were injured in the attack.

The region will not rest until the Zionist movement is destroyed.

***

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9. 'Suffering beside the innocent is the last honest thing a man can do.'

What follows is a post from Dr. Ezzideen on X. He a doctor, still alive, in Gaza. His posts evoke the horror of life under genocide than any others I have read. Please do follow him:

I found it yesterday. A piece of shrapnel, cold and brutal, weighing no less than two kilograms, lying beside the bed of a boy no older than nine.

He slept, or perhaps only pretended. His breathing was shallow but steady, as though his soul had learned to hide from the world.

This grotesque relic of war had torn through the zinc roof above us, followed by a rain of smaller, sharper pieces.

They fell without intention, without malice, like the blind fingers of chaos fumbling across the earth, striking the just and unjust alike.

I held the thing in my hand. It was heavy. Heavier than it should be. Not by mass, but by meaning. It carried the weight of a question I can no longer answer: Why are we still alive when so many better than us are not?

There is no glory here.

No nobility in suffering.

I do not heal. How can one heal in hell? I merely bind what bleeds and pray it holds.

They call this place a clinic. But what it truly is… is a final whisper before the silence.

I will confess: I am tired. Not just in body, but in soul. I once believed in duty. In the sanctity of the Hippocratic oath. But now I find myself treating children whose bones I cannot mend, whose pain I cannot lessen. And I ask myself, with bitter honesty: Is this mercy, or is it cruelty disguised as care?

Jabalia al-Balad is no longer a city. It is a graveyard that hasn't finished burying its dead. In three days, over forty buildings vanished as if some monstrous mouth swallowed them whole. Entire families erased. No names. No graves. No mourning. Only dust and absence.

I considered leaving. God knows I did. There was even a moment, brief but electric, when I believed I had a right to leave. But then I looked into the eyes of a mother cradling her burnt child, her lips cracked from thirst, her hands trembling not from fear, but from the weight of love. And I understood:

No one has the right to abandon the wounded when they can still stand. So I return.

Every other day, I walk into this inferno. I buy medicine with what little money strangers still send us. And I pray. Not for survival. But for clarity. For the strength to keep choosing to care in a world that punishes the caring.

Yes, I am afraid. Terribly so. Each morning I ask myself:

What right do I have to risk what remains of me?

And each morning, a darker voice answers:

What right do you have not to?

They say the healthcare system here has collapsed. That doctors are working in ruins. Yes, it is true. But even that fails to capture the madness. We work beneath falling missiles. We stitch flesh with shaking fingers while the sky groans above us. We whisper words of comfort into ears that may not live to hear them. And still, the world asks us to prove our humanity. As if we are the ones in question. But I tell you:

..our humanity is not in question. It is crucified.

And I, a doctor in Gaza, am merely one of many still clinging to the faith. Not because I believe it will save me, but because I believe that suffering beside the innocent is the last honest thing a man can do.

***

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10. The Israeli aggression against Iran and the questions raised on all sides of the conflict

In the second of our new series 'Critical Perspectives', friend and journalist Fiorella Isabel and I sit down to talk through the Trump-imagined ceasefire between aggressor state Israel and sovereign nation Iran. With Israel clearly the instigator of all the regional militarism and international law-violations - we try to demonstrate how Iran took on two hostile nuclear states and won from a multitude of perspectives. However, from bitter experience, Syria being just the latest example, we take into consideration the fact that the Empire never sleeps, it just changes strategy and direction.

Trump is playing his role of sowing confusion and instability even within the halls of power in Washington - while the Zionist entity is attempting to limit damage across a battle front that extends from Al Quds to Tehran. Israel cannot retreat, it can only continue on its path of blood and fire. We look at what this might mean in the near and long-term future - the potential for a major false flag to trigger a full-blown war against Iran. The possibility of engineered chaos in Lebanon again to keep the Resistance occupied internally and the deploment of Takfiri elements to target the Resistance factions inside Iraq.

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