Israeli Operation Shield and Arrow Exposes Iran’s Weakness and Strengthens Israel’s Regional Ties

By Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael SegallOperation “Shield and Arrow” constituted the first round of hostilities at a time when Iran characterized Israel at the depth of its weakness and the Resistance Camp at the height of its strength. The end of this round actually exposed Iran in its weakness.The President of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi, visited Syria on May 2 and 3, 2023, just two weeks before the latest fighting, where he met with “commanders of the Palestinian Resistance”, the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). , Ziyad Nakhalah, and senior Hamas member Khalil al Hayya. “Today more than ever,” Raisi declared, “the unity and cohesion of the forces of the resistance, the region and the Islamic world are necessary to accelerate the defeat of the Zionist regime (Israel) and… the sovereignty of the Palestinians over their destiny.” ”. Raisi declared: “We consider that the collapse of the Zionist regime, the effects of which are visible, is very close.” Raisi urged Muslims to “use all their capabilities to achieve the usurped rights of Palestine and the freedom of the holy Quds (Jerusalem).”Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, and members of the PIJ, in Damascus, Syria, on May 4, 2023. (WANA News Agency)The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran’s favorite protégé, did not receive any significant help beyond verbal support from Tehran or other members of the so-called “Resistance Camp,” and its military leadership suffered a severe setback during the operation.Iran hoped that the other elements of the Resistance Camp (mainly Hamas) would join Islamic Jihad in launching missiles against Israel. The hardline newspaper Kayhan He even explicitly criticized Hamas that “in the absence of more powerful rockets from the rest of the Resistance Front, those weapons fired at Israel were mere mosquito bites for the Zionists.”At the same time, Iran tried to mobilize Muslim countries to provide immediate aid to the Palestinians, to “speed up the end of Israel” and go beyond empty statements. During a speech to mark the seventh anniversary of the death of top Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah pledged full support for the Palestinians. However, in the current round of hostilities, Hezbollah was not involved in any way, perhaps in light of Israel’s precise military response to the launch of 34 Hamas rockets from Lebanese territory on April 6, 2023.An April 2023 meeting in Beirut of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with YIP leader Ziyad Nakhalah and other “resistance leaders.”An April 2023 meeting in Beirut of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with YIP leader Ziyad Nakhalah and other “resistance leaders.”Israel, which in recent months has been presented as weak in the face of the internal crisis (which Iran continues to echo in the headlines of the press and television), extracted a high price from the military leadership of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Furthermore, Israel’s impressive intelligence display and powerful operational capabilities during the operation bolstered its military reputation in the eyes of Arab countries, which could pave the way for greater future regional cooperation against Iran.Iran pressured Islamic Jihad’s external leaders, particularly its secretary general Ziad al Nakhleh, to continue fighting until the end. During the operation, a news agency reporter Tasnim, affiliated with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Gaza, boasted that the PIJ had responded to Egypt’s ceasefire initiative by attacking Tel Aviv. Iran hoped that the continuation of Operation Shield and Arrow and the escalation of the crisis in Gaza would attract more support from additional elements to the Resistance Front, but this expectation was not met. Eventually, the secretary general of Islamic Jihad succumbed to the Egyptian mediation initiative and agreed to a ceasefire, despite pressure from Iran.Iran appears willing to continue using Palestinian lives to achieve its goals and increase its regional influence.Source: The Jerusalem Center for Public AffairsIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael (Mickey) Segall, an expert on strategic issues with a focus on Iran, terrorism, and the Middle East, is a senior analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and at Acumen Risk Advisors.Post navigation