As Arab Post learned from Iranian and Iraqi sources that the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Ismail Qaani, was on an unannounced secret visit to Syria on October 15, and the visit lasted two days.

According to Arab Post, the sources said the goal of Ismail Qaani’s visit to Damascus was to raise the state of maximum alert for Iran’s allies in Syria, and to establish a joint operations room for Iran’s allies in both Syria and Iraq to monitor the current situation and coordinate the deployment of forces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian responded to a journalist's question about whether Iran would enter the war in Gaza, saying: "All possibilities are possible, and I confirm that no party can remain indifferent to the situation in Gaza."

Details of Qaani’s visit to Syria

An Iranian military expert close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, specifically the Quds Force, revealed to Arab Post that Qaani visited Syria two days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, and then returned to Tehran to prepare Khamenei’s report.

The same source added that Qaani returned to Syria again on October 15, 2023 and established an operations room to tighten coordination between the allies. This room would make decisions in difficult or dangerous times, because it is primarily under the management of officers from the Revolutionary Guard.

Arab Post source indicated that Qaani's second visit was aimed at ensuring the readiness of the allies in Syria in the event that the situation developed and Israel launched a ground invasion into Gaza. Qaani himself also supervised a number of training exercises for the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades, which were placed on maximum alert.

According to Iranian military sources who spoke to “Arabi Post” earlier, fighters from the “Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun” brigades are still present in Syria, since they were established by General Qassem Soleimani to fight alongside Assad’s forces.

Qaani's trip to Baghdad

The trip of Quds Force Commander Ismail Qaani was not limited to Syria only, but he traveled to Baghdad to meet with the leaders of the Iraqi Shiite armed factions allied with Iran, according to what a leader in the Iran-backed Shiite Sayyid al-Shuhada faction revealed.

Arab Post reported  that the spokesman said that Qaani arrived in Baghdad on October 16, late at night, and we were waiting for him. He informed us of the latest developments regarding the intervention of the resistance axis in the Gaza war, how to coordinate between groups within the axis, and many logistical matters.

Arab Post  added that the source added to “Arabi Post”: “At the beginning of the war, we asked Qaani to be patient, especially with a number of Popular Mobilization Forces factions announcing their intention to target American targets in the region, but in his last visit he was seriously talking about the possibility of all factions of the Axis of Resistance participating during the next few weeks.” .

Arab Post  continued that according to the source from the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades in Iraq, the latest plans for possible intervention by the Shiite and pro-Iranian factions in Iraq in the war on Gaza are still largely unprepared yet.

He told "Arabi Post": "We have some plans and their alternatives. The Iranians also informed us during Qaani's visit of their possible plans, but they said that there are alternative plans that will be discussed in Qaani's next visit to Iraq."

It is worth noting that Iran and its allies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Palestine call themselves the “Axis of Resistance,” and Tehran has worked in the past decade to greatly strengthen the network of its allies from the Axis of Resistance.

The escalation will be on the Syrian front

For his part, an Iranian intelligence official close to the Revolutionary Guards and the senior leadership told “Arabi Post” that “in the event of escalation, it will be from the Syrian side and not from Lebanon, in order to protect Hezbollah.”

The spokesman added, "Escalation on the part of Hezbollah will drag all of Lebanon into war, and this is what neither Hezbollah nor Iran wants, because Tehran wants to preserve Hezbollah's military infrastructure for as long as possible."

The source adds, saying: “Hezbollah is the strongest and most important member of the axis of resistance, and sacrificing it will cost us a lot. At the same time, this does not mean that Hezbollah is a key player in any escalation with Israel at the present time, but the beginning of the escalation will not be on its part, only on its part.” Keeping Israel's northern front busy now."

A source close to the Quds Force confirmed the intelligence official’s statement, telling Arab Post, “Iran does not want to risk Hezbollah now, even though Hezbollah’s current military capabilities will be very effective in inflicting heavy losses on the Israelis.”

The spokesman added that Iran's senior leadership is very concerned about the losses that Hezbollah will suffer, especially since in recent years it has acquired strong military and intelligence capabilities, in addition to the improvement of its economic situation and its military spending.

From where...from Syria?

Sources revealed to "Arabi Post" that Ismail Qaani, during his recent visit to Damascus, told Bashar al-Assad directly and seriously about the desire of Iran and the rest of the factions of the axis of resistance to equip the Syrian front. Because it will be the beginning of escalation against Israel if this happens.

A high-ranking Iranian official close to decision-making circles in Tehran said: “We know that Assad has no serious intention of entering the Gaza war, and he told Qaani that the situation in Syria is difficult at all levels, and he cannot tolerate entering into a new war, but at the same time he does not "He could refuse a request from his allies."

According to an Arab Post source, the Iranian plan to start escalation against Israel will begin specifically from the Golan Heights with a limited ground operation at first, and preparations for this plan have already begun a few hours after General Ismail Qaani left Damascus.

According to an Iranian military commander now in Syria, “Iranian forces and Hezbollah forces have been redeployed and stationed near the occupied Syrian Golan Heights,” adding: “We are now a few meters away from the Israeli forces.”

The matter did not stop at the redeployment of Iranian and allied forces in Syria, but according to the military commander, Iran was able to introduce many weapons and drones into Syria in the past few days.

An Arab Post source said, "Everything is ready and waiting for a decisive decision. We have missiles, drones, jamming devices, and fighters to attack Israel."

Did Russia agree?

In 2018, Israel and Russia signed the Security Belt Agreement in the Golan Heights. To ensure that Iranian forces do not target the Israeli occupation forces, Russia guaranteed to Israel the removal of all Iranian factions and factions opposing Bashar al-Assad from the Golan Heights.

Therefore, the redeployment of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in this region of the Golan Heights primarily requires Russia’s approval. Has Moscow agreed to this matter?

An Iranian diplomat close to decision-making circles in Tehran answers this question, telling Arab Post: “Russia agreed to the redeployment, but has not yet agreed to start from the Golan Heights in the event of an escalation with Israel, but there are many calls and conversations between us and the Russians.” To resolve this point.

It is noteworthy that Russia did not describe Hamas's recent attack on the Israeli occupation as a terrorist act, and this is noteworthy, because during the second Palestinian intifada in 2014, Putin stated that "Israel faces terrorism, and that there should be no negotiations with terrorists."

Putin had linked the second Palestinian Intifada to the military campaign launched by Russia in the Second Chechen War, saying: “The militants in Chechnya want to send fighters to Palestine.”

This time, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the Islamic resistance’s attack on the Israeli occupation as an unprecedented attack in history.

Iranian political analyst close to the Iranian government, Ali Najafi, said, “Russia’s positions changed after the Russian-Ukrainian war, and Moscow’s political priorities in the region became close to Tehran, so it is not strange that Russia avoided describing Hamas as a terrorist after its conflict with the West.”

What about Iran's allies in Iraq and Yemen?

In the wake of the attack by the military wing of Hamas on the Israeli occupation, many statements were issued by the leaders of the Iraqi Shiite armed factions allied with Iran.

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis in Yemen, which is supported by Iran, threatened Israel and the United States with launching attacks on American interests if Washington provided support to Tel Aviv in its war against the Gaza Strip.

In this regard, a leader in an Iraqi Shiite armed faction told “Arabi Post”: “Iraqi factions will have a major role if the war on Gaza intensifies. We are in the process of redeploying and stationing fighters along the Iraqi-Syrian border.”

He added, "Our role in Iraq is to target American targets on Iraqi soil, and it will be no less important than the participation of the rest of the factions of the axis of resistance in Syria and Lebanon."

According to the same source, the resistance factions in Iraq have their own plan that has been discussed with the Iranian side, in the event of issuing orders to clash and intervene in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The source said: “We are on high alert and have our own military plans, which will be coordinated with Hezbollah, the Iranians, and the resistance factions in Syria and Yemen at the appropriate time.”

As for the Houthi group in Yemen, the Iranian source close to the Revolutionary Guards told Arab Post: “In the talks between the resistance factions, the Houthis announced that they are ready to target everyone who supports Israel in the current war.”

According to the same source, it is expected that officials from the Houthi group will travel to Iraq during the next few weeks to discuss ways of cooperation between them and the Iraqi factions in the event that the “axis of resistance”, led by Iran in the region, enters the line of confrontation.

Source: arabipost