Warning Against Iran's Regional Influence; Netanyahu: The Alarm Has Sounded

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Saad Hariri's resignation from the Lebanese premiership, Israel's northern neighbor, as a sounding of the "alarm" regarding Iran's influence in the region. At the same time, Israel's Defense Minister warned the Hezbollah group in Lebanon about the new situation created there. Saad Hariri announced his resignation on Saturday, November 4, during a trip to Saudi Arabia, criticizing Iran and Hezbollah and stating that he was at risk of assassination. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu, who has been on an official visit to Britain for several days, reacted to Hariri's resignation on Saturday evening in London, saying it has once again been proven that serious measures must be taken to confront Iran's aggressive policies in the region. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied such accusations. Nevertheless, several countries in the region and Western nations criticize Tehran's role in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. On Sunday, November 5, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that Israel is prepared to counter Hezbollah's movements and will not allow the Iran-Hezbollah axis to strengthen along Israel's northern borders. Ozi Robin, head of the Middle East Studies Center at Tel Aviv University, also said on Sunday that the situation in Lebanon more than ever shows that Israel and Saudi Arabia's goals regarding the necessity of confronting Iran and its allies in the region are similar. The alignment of Israel and Saudi Arabia against Iran and Hezbollah, which is Tehran's ally in Lebanon, has been clearly expressed by Israeli officials for some time. Netanyahu stated on Friday, November 3, at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London that concerns over Iran's influence in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and other parts of the Middle East have driven moderate Sunni Arab countries toward Israel, forming an alliance among them. Over the past three years, Israel has expressed concerns about Hezbollah's strengthening and what it calls Iran's military presence in Syria, conducting operations against Hezbollah activists and key figures in the region. The killing of Samir Qantar, a Hezbollah field commander, and previously the killing of Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, the former military commander of this group, alongside Mohammad Ali Allah Dadi, a senior officer of the Revolutionary Guards, are among Israel's operations against important Hezbollah figures in the region. Many recent airstrikes attributed to Israel in Syria have aimed at hitting "Iranian weapon convoys for Hezbollah." The presence of Israeli fighter jets in Lebanese airspace for "reconnaissance" and firing missiles at Hezbollah targets in Syria has also become common recently, which the Israeli army has confirmed. In such a situation where Israel insists it is present in Lebanese airspace for its security, the new political deadlock in Beirut has made Israel more sensitive than ever; a matter that has been widely reflected in Israeli media analyses. Ynet, the news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, reported on Saturday evening based on a piece published on the intelligence website "Intelli Times" that Hariri's resignation, while his protection team stated they were unaware of any assassination threat against him, could indicate that an external factor had informed the Saudis about confidential intelligence regarding Hariri's life being in danger, so they could relay this news to him. The report did not mention the external source that might have conveyed such information to Hariri through the Saudis. However, a commentator for Haaretz on Sunday questioned Hariri's statements about being in danger and the possibility of being killed like his father, Rafik Hariri, in 2005. According to this report, Hariri's resignation, which came 11 years after his father's assassination, marks a second term for him as Prime Minister of Lebanon, and 11 months ago he seemingly reconciled with Hezbollah and formed his second government with the support of that organization and Michel Aoun, the Maronite President of the country (supported by Hezbollah). This indicates that Riyadh has not only asked him to distance himself from reconciliation with Hezbollah but also requested him to resign from the premiership to block Hezbollah's path and consequently Iran's in Lebanon. According to the Haaretz commentator, Hariri's resignation will be an obstacle to Iran's influence in Lebanon but will also lead Lebanon toward a deadlock whose outcome cannot be assessed at this time. Avi Isacharoff also examined the possibility on Sunday on the Wall News website that the current situation in Lebanon could become Israel's "fig leaf" for military action against Lebanon. Isacharoff wrote that as the majority of the international community considers Hezbollah the most powerful terrorist group, if Israel takes advantage of the current opportunity to campaign against this group, its military action could gain some legitimacy. He noted that Hezbollah has long exceeded its limits, with Hassan Nasrallah, its Secretary-General, explicitly stating that "money, weapons, and everything we have comes from Iran." In the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, which lasted 34 days, over 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon, and severe damage was inflicted on the country's infrastructure. After that war, Iran played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon by establishing a reconstruction headquarters led by Hassan Shateri, also known as Hosam Khushnavis, a senior commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards. Shateri was killed in February 2013 in an air operation attributed to Israel against a weapons convoy moving from Syria to Lebanon when a missile struck the vehicle carrying him on the Damascus-Beirut highway. Nevertheless, after initial reports regarding Israel's involvement in this attack, the Iranian ambassador in Beirut denied that Shateri had been killed in the Israeli airstrike two weeks prior. In this context, Iran rejected Hariri's statements, describing his resignation as "tension-inducing."