Tehran, Iran – Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qaani, revealed that Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” against Israel on October 7, 2023 was carried out in strict secrecy.
Neither Hamas leaders nor former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah were informed of its launch date.
“Neither we, nor Mr. Hassan, nor even senior Hamas leaders knew when the operation would take place,” Qaani said in a television interview on Friday.
He explained that Nasrallah, despite not being notified of the date of the operation, had “carefully” established the stages required to confront Israel.
He pointed to a critical period that lasted two weeks, during which Nasrallah remained publicly silent without giving speeches.
But he “terrified the Israelis and proved his ability to control all dimensions of the war, both military and psychological,” as he put it.
Qaani stressed that Hezbollah pressure forced Israel to deploy a third of its army in southern Lebanon, which “upended the war equation”.
Qaani also accused Israel of committing a “series of crimes”, starting with the assassination of field commanders, all the way to the “Piger bombing” incident, and ending with the assassination of Nasrallah.
war crime
Qaani said that the attack that killed Nasrallah used “chemical materials in addition to heavy bombs, making it a clear war crime”.
The commander of the Quds Force pointed out that Hezbollah’s missile and drone attacks on sensitive Israeli sites did not receive sufficient coverage.
He added, “Just two days before Israel requested a ceasefire, Hezbollah fired more than 350 rockets and shells of various sizes at the enemy, targeting soldiers’ canteens, Haifa, and even Netanyahu’s residence, which reflected the unique military and psychological capabilities of the resistance”.
Qaani concluded by stressing: “The resistance strategy is victory, and we will continue this approach”. This strategy will break the backs of Israel and America. Today, Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian resistance factions now possess more powerful missiles, and despite the losses and restrictions, the enemy’s goals have not been achieved and the resistance is growing stronger.
An attempt to disrupt Trump’s plan
Qaani’s statements come despite the instability the region is experiencing following the October 7 attack.
Especially in the Gaza Strip, whose people have paid a heavy price in lives, displacement and hunger.
The statements confirm the continued policy of destabilization.
Despite moving forward towards starting implementation of US President Donald Trump’s plan to put an end to the ongoing war in Gaza.
