Two Iranian MPs Deny IRGC's Role in Rocket Attacks on Israel

While official representatives of the Islamic Republic have refrained from responding to reports about rocket attacks on Israeli positions, two members of the National Security Commission of the Parliament denied the involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in this incident. These statements come after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that the Israeli army targeted 'almost all Iranian positions in Syrian territory' in response to the firing of 'rockets' by the IRGC towards the Golan Heights. Lieberman added that the Islamic Republic is attempting to 'change the rules of the game in the region' by launching rocket attacks on Israeli territory, which is why Israeli forces delivered 'the most severe blows to Iranian positions in Syria' early Thursday. Although no official Iranian representative has confirmed or denied the attack on positions in Israel, Abolfazl Hassanbeigi, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, emphasized in an interview with Sputnik that Iran 'has no interests in the attacks on Israel last night.' He added, 'When we carried out attacks on ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor, we announced it immediately.' His reference is to the IRGC's official statement confirming an attack on ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor at the Syria-Iraq border, which was conducted in retaliation for attacks by some members of this group on the Parliament building and the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran. Hassanbeigi also denied the existence of any 'Iranian military base' in Syria and accused Israel of 'lying.' According to him, it was the Syrian army that carried out 'attacks on Israeli territory' yesterday in response to multiple Israeli attacks on this country. 'Israel must understand that the situation has changed and aggression will not go unanswered,' he stated. Mohammad Javad Jamali Nobandegani, a member of the board of directors of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also rejected any claims regarding the IRGC's attacks on Israeli positions from within Syrian territory. In an interview with the official website of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (House of the Nation), Jamali Nobandegani added that Iran, unlike Russia, does not have a 'military base' in Syria and that the Islamic Republic's presence in this country is 'advisory.' He labeled the reports in this regard as 'accusations' from Israeli officials and 'lies,' adding that Tel Aviv has always been the first to attack and that 'in recent days, following the announcement by the U.S. President regarding withdrawal from the JCPOA, it informed about attacks on Syria.' According to this representative, Israel intends to drag Iran into the conflict due to its fighter jet being targeted by the Syrian army last month and makes such 'baseless' claims against the Islamic Republic due to the 'defeat' of ISIS and other terrorist groups 'supported' by this country in Syria. Jamali Nobandegani described Israel's intention behind these reports as creating 'Iranophobia' among the Gulf countries and U.S. allies. The Fars news agency, close to the IRGC, also reported that although 'Syrian officials themselves emphasized that the rockets fired towards the Zionist regime belonged to their air defense, Western and Hebrew officials are trying to portray the issue as Iranian-Israeli.' This news agency, in an article titled 'The West and Israel's Insistence on Portraying Syria's Rocket Response as Iranian,' added that the 'alleged shells' that hit the Golan were fired from 'the south and Quneitra province—part of which is controlled by opposition and terrorists and another part by popular forces and the Syrian army.' Fars also objected to the German Foreign Ministry's statement criticizing Iran's 'provocative' actions in the Golan Heights and the British government's spokesperson condemning Iran's 'attack' on Israel. Young Journalists Club, another media outlet close to the IRGC, also claimed, citing the Al-Mayadeen news network, that more than 50 rockets were launched from within Syrian territory at 'sensitive and important military' centers in Israel. Al-Mayadeen, naming these centers, also reported, citing eyewitnesses, of 'large explosions, fires, and extensive ambulance traffic' near the targeted centers. Meanwhile, Israel claims that some of the rockets fired landed in Syrian territory, and the rest were intercepted by its army in the sky. The verbal tensions between Iran and Israel have increased following the announcement of the U.S. government's withdrawal from the JCPOA by Donald Trump. Benjamin Netanyahu, who called this decision by the U.S. President 'historic,' thanked him for making it. The Israeli Prime Minister had claimed in a news interview before Trump's announcement that documents had been obtained proving Iran's continued non-peaceful nuclear activities and 'deceiving' the world by this country. Since the signing of the JCPOA between Iran and global powers, Israel has consistently expressed its opposition and dissatisfaction with it, declaring that it will never accept it. Israel, especially in recent months, has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate Iran's continued military presence in Syria, and some of the recent attacks in Syria, which have resulted in the deaths of Iranian military personnel, have been attributed to Israel.