Iran commander: ‘Hezbollah more powerful than Zionist regime’

Israel no longer poses a “dangerous threat” to Iran following Hezbollah’s rise to military prominence, declared the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami.

The Iranian general said that the Islamic Republic had taken the decision to downgrade the threat posed by Israel. His announcement comes on the back of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, declaring victory in Syria today. The Russian air force and Hezbollah troops backed by Iran swung the tide of war in Syria in favour of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Lebanon based military group, Hezbollah, has enhanced its reputation as a formidable force in the region. Despite losing fighters in the conflict, analysts believe it has recruited extensively and acquired new weapons and skills that turn it from a paramilitary group able to wage guerrilla operations into an actual mini-army.

Salami’s remark highlights the growing confidence in Tehran of being able to rely on Hezbollah to confront its enemies in the region. According to Iranian sources, the IRGC commander said that Israel had been removed from the level of a “dangerous threat” as it “is balanced with Hezbollah and Hezbollah has the superior hand in this balance and is more powerful than the Zionist regime.”

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Addressing a forum in Tehran today, Salami stressed that “any new war between Israel and another party, including Hezbollah, threatens the regime’s [Israel’s] survival”. “This shows,” explained Salami, “that the US is in serious decline in its ability to prolong the Zionist regime’s survival.”

In November, IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined that any new war in the region will lead to the annihilation of the Zionist regime, an Iranian source reported.

Jafari warned that Lebanon is Israel’s first target, and therefore the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group should be armed against Israel to maintain security in Lebanon.

“This issue is not negotiable and the entire Lebanese nation, except a number of little puppet groups, support Hezbollah’s weapon,” he added