December 23, 2019
Western and Israeli intelligence agencies are agog with fears
The "Popular Mobilisation Forces†comprising 120,000 Shia militia fighters that
Iran cobbled together to counter IS were pivotal in battlefields across Iraq.Now
that Iran has "won†over IS, it stands as the tallest power centre in West Asia.
No other external power sacrificed so much blood and treasure as Iran to ensure
that IS bit the dust in its bastions. The road to troubles and to solutions lies
through this pivotal state.
Iran’s legendary military commander, Gen. It was
Iran, which pushed its friendly Shia-dominated government in Iraq of Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki to reject any lingering presence of the US military on
Iraqi soil. Iran was the reason why these wars were fought and also the main
organised force of resistance to the IS’ savagery.The congratulation and
self-vindication in Iran at the fall of IS’ Caliphate were second to none and
deservingly so.Saudi Arabia’s recent bizarre attempt to take the Lebanese Prime
Minister Saad Hariri hostage and demand that future Lebanese governments heed
more to Riyadh than to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah was a clear signal that
phobia of Iran and its so-called "Shia Crescent†is now at its peak among Iran’s
enemies. Parallelly, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on December
9 that "we have won with our unity and determination†and that IS had been
decimated in his country.
Israel’s insistence that it would not negotiate with
any Palestinian government unless the Hamas faction severs its ties with Iran
proves that the entire Israel-Palestine dispute is now predicated on the Iran
threat perception.It is true that many Kurds and Sunni Arabs also gave their
lives in order to evict IS from their lands. Russia did work in tandem with Iran
but sought to steal Tehran’s thunder and project itself as the main saviour from
the IS demon. But the reverse is happening and it would be no surprise if
successors to IS arise soon to once again reprise the game of containing Iran.
The notorious black banner of the hardline jihadists was spectacularly unfurled
in Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in 2014.
Even the controversy around US
President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has an unspoken
Iran angle.But even more consequential than these two figures was the Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani, who proudly proclaimed on November 21 that IS had been
vanquished in both Syria and Iraq. You either love it to bits or hate its
guts.Let us rewind to 2011, just before IS had emerged as a diabolical threat in
West Asia. But had there been no decisive Iranian hand in the campaigns, we
would not be marking the absolute end of the IS Caliphate today. Terming IS an
"evilâ€, which had been "lifted from the head of the peopleâ€, he thanked
"thousands of martyrs†mobilised by Iran to fight in Syria and Iraq to "destroy
the foundation and roots†of the terrorist movement.. From there, IS embarked on
a devilish mission of extermination and conquest across both sides of the
Euphrates river which straddles Iraq and Syria.By dint of its anti-Western
nationalism and fierce promotion of Shia causes, Iran evokes intense emotions in
West Asia.
Sections within the US Congress who seek re-imposition of sanctions
on Iran to bury the 2015 nuclear deal are also driven by the same motive of
stopping Iran in its tracks.The moment IS began grabbing control of vast
stretches of land, Iran realised that it had to intervene rapidly or risk facing
a Sunni jihadist monster state right on its western border.In hindsight, this
was a mistake because the security vacuum created by the departing Americans
could not be filled by the fledgling Iraqi military. By aiming to diplomatically
and militarily strengthen Israel vis-Ã -vis the Palestinians, the Trump
administration believes it can halt Iran’s winning streak.
Western and Israeli
intelligence agencies are agog with fears that Iran will cash in its victory by
concretising a "land corridor†stretching from Tehran all the way up to Beirut,
passing via the IS-disinfected Iraqi and Syrian deserts and linking up to the
Mediterranean Sea. Mr Trump’s extreme pro-Israel bias against the Palestinians
seeks to consolidate the informal but effective Israel-Saudi nexus Wholesale Vacuum space bags to
wrestle Iran down. The full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq was Tehran’s
goal as a necessary precondition for Iranian influence to be consolidated in
Shia-majority Iraq. Only Israel has the strategic capabilities to push back the
Iranian juggernaut. If Iran is able to dispatch its Revolutionary Guard units
without hindrance as far as Lebanon, then it would become an even more
existential threat for Israeli national security.The congratulation and
self-vindication in Iran at the fall of IS’ Caliphate were second to none and
deservingly so. Incidents such as Iran-associated Houthi rebels in Yemen firing
missiles that reached as far as Riyadh airport reconfirm to the anti-Iran
brigade that apocalypse is nearing. Ideally, it should be included rather than
excluded from processes of peace, reconstruction and stability in the
region.Recent leaks showing how Crown Prince Salman tried to browbeat the
weakened Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas into accepting a peace deal, which
would leave Jerusalem in Israeli hands, reveal that Israel and Saudi Arabia are
coordinating closely to roll back Iran. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
(Photo: File) On December 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared "complete
victory†over the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and hailed the "total rout of the
terroristsâ€.
Qasem Soleimani, spearheaded the anti-IS ground operation and so
did several Iran-allied Lebanese Hezbollah leaders. After all, it is not Saudi
Arabia which has the military wherewithal to check Iran.However, no neutral
historical account of how Syria and Iraq were liberated from the IS scourge can
ignore Iran’s centrality. The Western military coalition led by the United
States attempted to downgrade, render invisible or hinder Iran’s contributions
in the anti-IS war effort. IS suddenly shot to prominence courtesy generous
funding and logistical support of Iran’s regional rivals like the Gulf
monarchies and Turkey.Alarm over Iran’s growing stature explains the brash Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s denunciation of Iran’s supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as "the new Hitler of West Asia†who must never be
appeased but aggressively countered. Strategically, the combined Syria-Iraq war
to uproot IS in the last three years can be understood as Iran’s great triumph
against its bitter foes Saudi Arabia and Israel — both of which wished the wars
had gone on indefinitely and sapped Iran
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