World Jerusalem Day rallies were held throughout Iran on April 14, 2023, and exploited by the Iranian leadership to express the Iranian Republic’s continuing support for the Palestinians. Meeting with senior state officials and ambassadors from Islamic states for Eid al-Fitr, the Iranian supreme leader praised the Palestinian “resistance” to Israel and declared that the “Zionist regime” would become weaker as the “resistance” became stronger.
The Iranian foreign minister held a telephone call with the secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and with the chairman of Hamas’ political bureau to assure them of Iran’s support for the Palestinians.
The Israeli Security Agency revealed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Qods Force and Hezbollah were recruiting Palestinians from Judea and Samaria to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.
The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad met with PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who was on a formal visit to Iraq.
The defense ministers and intelligence heads of Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran met in Moscow on April 25, 2023, to discuss developments in Syria.
Hossein Akbari, the incoming Iranian ambassador to Damascus, presented his credentials to the Syrian foreign minister.
The president of Iran spoke with chairman of the Yemeni Houthi’s supreme political council and invited him to visit Tehran.
Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena
On April 14, 2023, World Jerusalem Day rallies were held throughout Iran. Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi gave a speech in which he said World Jerusalem Day showed the solidarity of the Muslim countries, adding that the expression of global support proved to the Palestinian and Lebanese people, as well as to the “resistance fighters,” that they were not alone. He added that Israel’s normalization of relations with regional states would not contribute to its security because the “Zionist regime” was on the brink of collapse (Mehr, April 14, 2023). On April 17, 2023, at his weekly press conference, Nasser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said World Jerusalem Day had been marked this year with unprecedented enthusiasm for the fact that internal political crises in Israel had made the “Zionist regime” more fragile (IRNA, April 17, 2023).
At a ceremony making Iran Army Day, Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC, said “the Zionists killed two of our own” in Syria, but seven Israelis had been killed by “invisible hands” and the equation between Israel and Iran had now become unequal. He said the “Zionist regime” had surrounded itself with hundreds of kilometers of walls equipped with sensors so strong not even animals could cross them, but the “invisible hands” had armed the Palestinians in West Bank with modern automatic weapons. He claimed that during the previous week Palestinians had carried out 165 operations, 50% of which were shooting [attacks], and that Israel’s reaction to the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, south Lebanon and Syria was “hitting empty spaces” (Tasnim, April 18, 2023).
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, held a meeting of Iranian officials and foreign ambassadors for Eid al-Fitr on April 22, 2023. He told them the Islamic world’s strategy had to be to support and reinforce the fighting forces inside Palestine. He added that the “Zionist regime” was facing a gradual decline whose speed was increasing day by day.. The more the resistance increased, he claimed, the weaker the “Zionist regime” would become and the more apparent would its atrocities become. He praised the young Palestinians for their “resistance to Israel,” claimed the “Zionist regime’s “deterrence had come to an end,” and the “Zionists” themselves knew the end was near. (Ali Khamenei’s website, April 22, 2023).
On April 22, 2023, Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi spoke on the phone with Tamim ibn Hamad al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, for Eid al-Fitr. They discussed the Palestinian issue, and Raisi related to the “recent crimes of the Zionist regime against al-Aqsa and the unprotected [Ramadan] fasters.” He noted the need for Islamic unity and coordination to prevent the “activities of the Zionist regime” and support the Palestinian people (ISNA, April 20, 2023).
On April 22, 2023, Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, the Iranian foreign minister, spoke with PIJ secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah and congratulated him for Eid al-Fitr. Abdollahian noted the Islamic Republic’s continuing moral and political support for the Palestinian people and their “resistance” whose of was “the liberation of the occupied lands of ‘historical Palestine’ and the establishment of an independent, united government in ‘Palestine’ with Jerusalem as its capital.” Al-Nakhalah thanked Iran for its support of the Palestinian people (Mehr, April 22, 2023). On April 24, 2023, Abdollahian spoke with Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, and noted Iran’s support for the “Palestinian resistance.” Haniyeh noted the determination of the Palestinian people and “resistance groups” to continue their “struggle” against “the aggression of the Zionist regime” (Mehr, April 24, 2023).
On April 12, 2023, a conference was held at the Imam Khomeini Iranian Community Center in Beirut for Eid al-Fitr. Its theme was “The shield of Jerusalem – the West Bank [marches] towards a new era.” The meeting was attended by Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, who praised the Iranian Islamic Republic, which supported the “resistance” and did not recognize Israel’s legitimacy. He said Iran was the only country that talked about destroying Israel as a cancerous growth [in the Middle East] and the main cause of regional tragedies (qudsnet.com, April 13, 2023).
The Israeli Security Agency revealed that IRGC’ Qods Force and Hezbollah were recruiting Palestinians from Judea and Samaria to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel. According to the Agency, in recent months two Palestinians from Judea and Samaria, Yussuf Mansour and Marsil Mansour, had been detained, and confessed to having agreed to a request from two operatives, Huda Mahana and Muhammed Radwan (aka “Muhammad Bashir”) to smuggle weapons into Judea and Samaria and sell them, and to collect information about IDF activities and recruit other operatives for terrorist attacks. According to intelligence information, “Muhammad Bashir” and Huda Mahana belong to the Qods Force unit responsible for assisting the Palestinian terrorist organizations in Judea and Samaria; the unit is commanded by Said Izadi. The investigation revealed how the Qods Force and Hezbollah locates and recruits operatives in Judea and Samaria for terrorist attacks (Israeli TV channel Kan 11, April 17, 2023).
Iranian Intervention in Syria
On April 17, 2023, the Iranian news network al-Alam in Arabic reported Iran continued providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of the February earthquake. According to the report, the Iranian airlift continued, and humanitarian assistance had recently been distributed to the residents of Qamishli, located in northwestern Syria. On April 12, 2023, Reuters reported that Iran had used the airlift to transport weapons to Syria under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance.
The defense ministers and intelligence heads of Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran met in Moscow on April 25, 2023. According to the Turkish al-Andalou News Agency, they met to discuss developments in Syria (al-Andalou News, April 24, 2023).
On April 22, 2023), Hossein Akbari, the incoming Iranian ambassador to Damascus, presented his credentials to Faisal Mekdad, the Syrian foreign minister (SANA, April 22, 2023). Akbari previously served as Iranian ambassador to Tripoli (Libya), and is considered an expert on Arab affairs. He replaced outgoing Mehdi Sobhani, who served in Libya for nearly two years and will be posted to Yerevan (Armenia).
Iranian Intervention in Iraq and Yemen
On April 13, 2023, Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadegh, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, met with PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who was on an official visit to Iraq. They discussed recent developments related to the Palestinian issue. While in Iraq al-Nakhalah participated in the World Jerusalem Day events in Baghdad (IRNA, April 13, 2023).
On April 13, 2023, Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, the Iranian foreign minister, met with Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi foreign minister, to discuss bilateral relations, regional and international developments and the situation in Iraq. Hussein praised the renewal of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and said the president of Iraq would visit Tehran in the near future (Tasnim, April 23, 2023).
Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadegh, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, was interviewed by Iraqi TV station al-Sharqiyah, and related to the announcement made by Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the al-Sadr faction, of his intention to freeze its political activity for a year. Al-e Sadegh said his political withdrawal would leave a vacuum and talks were being held with al-Sadr to renew his activity. He said al-Sadr was free to make his own decisions but hoped he would change his mind. Regarding the possibility al-Sadr would visit Tehran, Al-e Sadegh said he had no information, adding that al-Sadr would be welcome in Iran at any time, for a visit or a prolonged stay (ILNA, April 21, 2023).
On April 21, 2023, Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi spoke on the phone with Mahdi al-Mashat, the chairman of the Shi’ite Houthi supreme political council in Yemen, and invited him to visit Tehran. He said Iran was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen but expressed hope for continued talks to end the fighting, release prisoners, lift the blockade on Yemen and reach a permanent ceasefire. Al-Mashat thanked Iran for its support of the Yemeni people, expressed his desire to visit Iran, and congratulated Raisi on Iran’s recent diplomatic successes (al-Alam, April 21, 2023).
