Read our editorials on the US-Israeli war on Iran here and here.
The Iranian government confirmed several high-ranking officials were killed in Israeli strikes on March 17 and 18 as part of an escalating campaign targeting the country’s leadership.
Those killed include Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Ali Larijani; Basij paramilitary chief Maj. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani; and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. The officials were murdered alongside their family members, friends, and body guards.
The assassinations are part of a broader US-Israeli effort to destabilize Iran, genocide its people, and bring the country under their direct domination, including partial occupation.
The head Zionist butcher Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a video message on Tuesday that the strikes aim to weaken the government so that the Iranian people can “take their fate into their own hands.”
The US and Israel have attempted to incite riots against the Iranian government as part of their plans to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Leading up to and during protests in Iran earlier this year, US and Israeli officials confirmed the presence of their agents among the people, seeking to co-opt the protests.
Israeli officials have openly call on Iranians to revolt while privately telling US officials they expect such uprisings to result in massacres, according to The Washington Post.
The Zionists hope the policy of targeted assassinations will create an opening for rebellion. As noted by The Worker, this long-used Zionist tactic can only serve to strengthen the resistance by providing examples of heroism and dying for the people.
Even the hawkish New York Times has recently reported that decapitation strikes risk “backfiring in unforeseeable ways.” A former head of the Iran branch of Israeli military intelligence told the Times that such operations have limits, noting Iran’s ability to quickly replace martyred officials. Despite this tactic being used for years against Hamas and Hezbollah, both resistance groups remain operational.
Iran’s strategy of Mosaic Defense is designed to maintain continuity of command, dispersing authority across overlapping leadership structures with clear chains of command so the loss of individual officials does not disrupt overall operations.
Following the latest assassinations, Iran launched a heavy barrage of drones and missiles at Israel, killing and injuring hundreds of Zionists and damaging Israeli infrastructure, according to Iranian media. Numerous US military and economic assets in the region were also struck.
Across Iran, thousands participated in demonstrations against the US-Israel invaders and mourned the assassinated officials.
Photo: Thousands attend the funeral for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani. Credit: Zeinab Irani.
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