The elimination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has caused shock in Iran where there are fears that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could be next in line, according to an article published today (Sunday) in the New York Times.”
In Tehran, news of Nasrallah’s death caused shock and anxiety among senior officials, who wondered in private phone calls and emergency meetings whether Israel would attack Iran next, and whether Khamenei would be his next target.
Four senior Iranian officials who knew Nasrallah personally told the Post that Khamenei was “deeply shocked by his friend’s death and grieving, but took a calm and pragmatic stance.” Instead of attacking Israel, he issued two moderate statements, praising Nasrallah as a leading figure of the Muslim world and the axis of resistance, and asserting that Iran would stand with the Hezbollah.
In a significant decision, Khamenei indicated that Hezbollah, not Iran, would lead any response against Israel, with Iran limiting itself to a supporting role. According to several experts cited by the American newspaper, this position clearly reveals Khamenei’s current inability to respond effectively to Israeli strikes against his allies. Faced with the dilemma between open conflict with Israel and a low-intensity strategy aimed at preserving its interests, the supreme leader seems to favor the latter approach.
Two members of the Revolutionary Guard, including a strategist who participated in planning meetings over the past two days regarding how Iran should respond, said in interviews that Iran’s immediate priority is to help the Hezbollah to get back on its feet, appoint a successor to Nasrallah, align a new command structure and rebuild a secure communications network.
