Israeli Officer: Iran is Involved in Terrorist Attacks on the Golan Border

A senior Israeli army officer has warned that Iran is using the Golan Heights in Syria to orchestrate attacks against Israel. This officer, who serves in the Golan region and has not been named in reports, told Israeli media, including Haaretz, that Iran was involved in the bombing in April in the Quneitra area at the Israel-Syria border. Earlier in the spring, four Arab Druze residents of the village of 'Khadr' in the Golan section of Syria were killed by missile fire from an Israeli fighter jet. Israel announced on Sunday that these four were tasked by Iran and Hezbollah to strike Israeli soldiers on a patrol in 'Majd al-Shams' in the occupied Golan area. In this context, Israeli media quoted this senior officer as saying, 'It is clear that Iran has been behind all terrorist attacks in the Golan region over the past two years.' Haaretz also quoted this Israeli officer stating that 'the Iranians are utilizing the Golan border area and deploying units, whether under the supervision of [Imad] Mughniyeh or [Samir] Quntar, to arrange further attacks.' He also emphasized that Iran is assisting Hezbollah in Lebanon by transferring money, providing military training, and sending military advisors to Syria. In January, during the early winter of last year, an Israeli airstrike near the Syrian border killed Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of senior Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, along with several other Hezbollah members. Among the casualties of this attack was Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander close to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. At that time, Iran announced that Allahdadi had been dispatched to assist the Syrian army in fighting Takfiri forces, while an Israeli security official at the same time told Reuters that Israel was unaware of this IRGC official's presence in the Hezbollah convoy. Potential Ground Attack by Israel on the Syrian Border Haaretz reported on Monday, August 26, citing the senior Israeli army officer about a potential Israeli attack on the Syrian border, stating that the aim of such an attack would be 'to push back Hezbollah forces or extremist Islamist militants opposing the Syrian government from near the Israeli border.' Meanwhile, according to Israeli media, under the command of General Gadi Eisenkot, Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Israeli soldiers are preparing for a ground attack on the Syrian border, assessing that Iran wants to open a 'new front' for Israel in the Golan Heights. Israeli media have also reported that Samir Quntar, a senior Hezbollah commander in the Golan Heights, has been planning new attacks from Syria against Israel, but the logistics and coordination for executing these attacks are directed by Iran. These media have also reported that some recent airstrikes in Syria are Israeli operations aimed at preventing the transfer of Iranian weaponry from Syrian territory to Hezbollah. General Aviv Kochavi, commander of the Israeli army's northern branch, has also stated that the threat from Hezbollah to Israel is no longer limited to Lebanon, as its members are now active in Syria against Israel. Israeli media reactions to Zarif's visit to Lebanon have also noted that following Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's visit to Lebanon last week and his meeting with Hassan Nasrallah, diplomats from the country claimed that the release of Iran's frozen funds after the final nuclear agreement 'will increase Iran's support for terrorism.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and some other Iranian officials have stated in recent weeks that Iran's support for Hezbollah will continue even after reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement with world powers. Meanwhile, Lebanese media have pointed out that Mr. Zarif did not visit the grave of Imad Mughniyeh, a former senior intelligence officer of Hezbollah who was killed several years ago, during his trip to Lebanon. Mr. Zarif's previous visit to Imad Mughniyeh's grave had drawn a reaction from the U.S. State Department.