IRGC Retracts its Story about ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Operation

People attended the funeral of a high-ranking Iranian general,Razi Mousavi, in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. AP
People attended the funeral of a high-ranking Iranian general,Razi Mousavi, in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. AP
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IRGC Retracts its Story about ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Operation

People attended the funeral of a high-ranking Iranian general,Razi Mousavi, in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. AP
People attended the funeral of a high-ranking Iranian general,Razi Mousavi, in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. AP

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) introduced a significant twist to the narrative surrounding the events of the al-Aqsa Flood Operation on Oct. 7 after its spokesman initially claimed the attack was a retaliatory act for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.

Hamas quickly refuted the comments of spokesperson Ramezan Sharif, prompting the IRGC to later retract the statement.

Sharif stated that during the al-Aqsa Flood, more than 200 commanders and a total of 1,500 civilians were killed.

He stated that the attacks against Israel were in response to the killing of Soleimani, a former Quds Force commander, the mastermind behind Iran's foreign operations and regional strategy, who was assassinated in a US airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020.

Subsequently, the Revolutionary Guard's media outlets distributed a brief statement indicating a partial revision of the spokesperson's statements.

The statement quoted Sharif as saying the al-Aqsa Flood was an "entirely Palestinian operation."

The alteration was attributed to a "misunderstanding" of the spokesperson's earlier statements, as reported by the Tasnim agency.

Hamas swiftly rejected the spokesperson's statements, emphasizing that all of its actions are "in response to the presence of the occupation and its continued aggression against our people and our sanctities."

- "Miscalculations"

Previously, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei denied Iran's involvement in Hamas' attack, characterizing the accusations against Iran as rumors propagated by supporters of the Zionist entity and a "misguided calculation."

Hours before Khamenei's speech, the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied a report published by the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that IRGC senior officers were involved in planning Hamas' attack since August.

Tehran described the report as "politically motivated."

Sources from Hamas and Hezbollah said Iranian officials green-lit the attack on Israel in a meeting held days before the operation.

Khamenei's denial seemed to implicitly confirm a statement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Oct. 8, suggesting there was evidence of Iran's involvement in the attack.

Following Khamenei's denial, most Iranian officials' positions revolved around denying Tehran's interference in the armed groups' decisions, namely Hamas.

Hours after Khamenei's speech, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian announced a new chapter for the "Resistance Axis," saying they may carry out "preemptive" measures in response to systematic Israeli attacks.

On Oct. 12, Amirabdollahian traveled to Iraq and discussed for the first time the possibility of the war expanding, saying nobody seeks Iran's "permission to open a new front" against Israel.

Two weeks later, the Wall Street Journal cited intelligence sources that about 500 members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad had received combat training weeks before the attack.

In mid-November, three senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Khamenei asked the political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, during his unannounced visit to Tehran to silence voices calling for Iranian and Hezbollah intervention in the war.

Sources quoted Khamenei as saying that Iran had not participated in the Oct. 7 attack and would not directly intervene in the conflict unless Israel or the US attacked it.

However, Iranian leaders wanted to use armed groups to launch missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US targets in the Middle East. Later, Iranian officials and Hamas denied the Reuters report.

Following the report, Iranian media outlets shared a message from the commander of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, addressing the commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif.

In it, he pledged that Iran and its allies would do "everything necessary in this historic battle."

- Iran Vows Retribution Against Israel

IRGC spokesman declared that Iran will not back down from confronting the Zionist entity and will pursue this path. He emphasized that the Armed Forces General Staff and the Supreme National Security Council supervise this mission.

Sharif accused Israel of attempting to transform the Gaza war into a conflict between Iran and the US, asserting that the Israelis sought to escalate conflict in the region due to their strategic failures.

The IRGC spokesperson said the assassination of Reza Mousavi was a response to Israel's "defeats" in the battle against Hamas.

"Iran's response will be a combination of a direct step and a step by the resistance front," he noted.

Highlighting Mousavi's extensive role in supporting the Resistance Axis for over 25 years, Sharif acknowledged his valuable experience in equipping the resistance and providing significant assistance to Iranian diplomacy in Syria and Lebanon.

Sharif also noted that while Iran has already taken revenge against Israel for previous assassinations, such actions are not allowed to be disclosed in the media.

IRGC Commander Hossein Salami affirmed that Mousavi had always been a steadfast supporter of the entire resistance front.

Iranian media broadcast that Mousavi's body was taken to Najaf, Iraq, for funeral rites ahead of transferring him to Tazgrish, north of Tehran, for his burial.

Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Mohammed al-Sadiq, told AFP that Mousavi's death was the latest of Israel's "enemy's list of crimes."

The Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Saeed Iravani, issued a stern warning to "Israel," affirming that his country holds legitimate and inherent rights based on international law and the United Nations Charter to provide a decisive response at the appropriate time.

Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said the assassination of an IRGC commander in Syria was Israel's strategic mistake that won't go unpunished.

Earlier this month, Khamenei called for the disruption of ships heading to Israel and the interruption of its energy supplies.

Following Khamenei's speech, the Houthi group launched a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.

The US accused Iran of launching a drone attack on a vessel carrying chemical cargo linked to Israel and en route to India.



Arab-US Coordination Aims to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
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Arab-US Coordination Aims to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)

An Egyptian official told Asharq Al-Awsat about new Arab-American efforts to support peace efforts in Sudan. The source, who requested anonymity, said that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and the US are working together to help resolve the crisis in Sudan.

The official added that a meeting last weekend in Saudi Arabia, attended by officials from the four countries, focused on boosting efforts to end the crisis.

These four countries had previously joined US-led talks in Geneva in August, alongside the UN and the African Union, to try to end the war in Sudan. However, the talks stalled after the Sudanese government boycotted them.

The Egyptian source explained that the Saudi meeting was not part of the Geneva talks. Instead, the current group of four countries is focused on finding peaceful solutions.

The source also said more meetings are expected to continue pushing for an end to the war and for humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a civil war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), causing thousands of civilian deaths and displacing over 10 million people, both within Sudan and to neighboring countries, according to the UN.

After the war broke out, Saudi Arabia and the US hosted talks in Jeddah, leading to the signing of an agreement.

The agreement aimed to protect civilians and prevent the use of private and public facilities for military purposes. The Sudanese government insists on fully implementing the Jeddah agreement before starting direct talks with the RSF.

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Mona Omar said uniting the efforts of key international players will help push for a ceasefire in Sudan. She noted that conflicting approaches from African, regional, and global powers have weakened attempts to end the war.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Omar stressed that coordination between Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the US would improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict, particularly in regions like Al-Fasher in Darfur and Gezira state, where conditions are critical.

She called for the focus of international efforts to be on “ceasefire, relief efforts, and creating a political roadmap to resolve the crisis.”