Senior Quds Force Official: We Must Establish Our Power in the West Bank

The senior advisor to the Quds Force commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has described the West Bank of the Jordan River as part of the "strategic depth" of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that Iran must "establish" its power in this region under the control of the Palestinian Authority. According to the Mehr News Agency, Iraj Masjedi, a commander of the IRGC and senior advisor to the Quds Force, made this statement on Saturday, February 11, at a conference titled "The Jihad Continues" in Mashhad. He referred to the initial advances of the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS) in Iraq and the role of the Quds Force in assisting the Iraqi army, the Badr Organization, and Shiite groups to counter it, adding, "We must give our struggle strategic depth and push the enemy as far away as possible; otherwise, we would have allowed ISIS to reach the borders of West Azerbaijan and Kermanshah, and then we would have sent our forces." He stated that ISIS's goal was to capture Baghdad and reach Tehran, which they failed to achieve and have now retreated across the "Tigris River." Masjedi elaborated on the necessity of expanding the Islamic Republic's "strategic depth," saying, "If today, martyr Allahdadi and the defenders of the shrine were not martyred on the fronts in Syria and Iraq, we would have to fight ISIS at the borders of the Islamic Republic today." He also mentioned the situation in Syria, adding that the aim of the "developments in Syria was to break the resistance belt, which connects Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, and they failed due to the intervention of the IRGC and Hezbollah." Iraj Masjedi concluded that the purpose of "our war is for the Islamic Republic; we must limit Israel at its borders so that it dares not talk about a missile attack on Iran. We must establish our power in the West Bank and Gaza so that Israel does not think about maneuvering at the borders of the Islamic Republic." He regarded the only way for the Palestinians to succeed as resistance and arming the West Bank like Gaza. Previously, Ayatollah Khamenei had repeatedly emphasized Iran's support for Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza, stating that the West Bank must also be armed. Following the killing of Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander of the Quds Force, along with six members of Hezbollah in an Israeli airstrike on January 29 in Quneitra in the Golan Heights, and Hezbollah's retaliatory attack on Israeli soldiers in Shebaa Farms, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held Iran responsible for that attack. Although Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack on "Quneitra," the Prime Minister stated that Iran is trying to establish an operational headquarters against Israel near its border using the presence of the Quds Force and Hezbollah in Syria. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in remarks published on Friday, February 10, referred to the killing of Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, saying, "The mixing of Iranian and Lebanese blood on the soil of Quneitra indicates the unity of Iran and Hezbollah in their issues, destiny, and battles." On Friday, Iranian media also reported on a meeting between Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, and Hassan Nasrallah, 48 hours after the Israeli attack on Quneitra.