Former Iranian Official: The Countdown To Attacking Israel Has Begun – 'With Hopes Of Completely Eradicating [It] From The Planet'

In response to reports on a January 29, 2013 Israeli attack in Syria, Ali Reza Forghani, a supporter of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former governor of Kish province, published an article titled "Countdown to an Attack on Israel," calling on Tehran and Syria to take this golden opportunity for a retaliatory strike against Israel that will destroy it once and for all.

In the article, which was published on regime websites,[1] Forghani stated that the war in Syria today is merely the prelude to a nuclear third world war between the "Axis," led by the U.S., and the "Allies," led by Iran, that will bring about the end of humanity.

This is not Forghani's first call to destroy Israel. In a February 4, 2012 article titled "Iran Must Attack Israel by 2014," he claimed that doing so was a religious obligation, and that Iran was capable of annihilating Israel in under nine minutes.[2]

Previously, on June 10, 2012, a number of regime websites[3] published an article by Forghani in which he called on the Islamic world to assert its right to possess nuclear weapons in order to create a balance of terror with its enemies. He wrote: "Since according to the fatwa of Imam Khomeini all Islamic countries are considered Islamic blood, the Islamic world must awaken from its hibernation and must disturb the sleep of America and Israel, and must shout, 'An an atomic bomb is our right!'

"Yes," he continued, "nuclear weapons are a right – and if this right did not exist, Israel would have been destroyed forever 30 years ago... Nuclear weapons are necessary to prevent America from doing whatever it wants. In accordance with the words of Imam Khamenei [sic] 'As we are attacked, so shall we respond,' there is a need for a swift response on the atomic-bomb level. Atomic bomb now!"

Ali Reza Forghani[4]

Following is the translation of Forghani's January 29, 2013:

"Iran Will Rush To The Aid Of Any Country That Attacks Israel And Ends Israel's Story Once And For All"

"Israel has been warned that the 'Allies' in the Syria war will consider it [responsible] for any kind of foreign attack on Syria. Any form of attack on Syria will bring about a devastating attack on Israel. Based on this stated policy, Iran will rush to the aid of any country that attacks Israel and ends Israel's story once and for all (with Allah's help).

"This analysis is not aimed at comparing World War II with the war in Syria, but at using several well-known terms already familiar to our readers.

"The new 'Axis' includes Israel, America, France, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia – countries which, according to the Roberto Pact (Rome, Berlin, Tokyo) can be defined as Axis countries in the Syria war. These countries are the aggressors, and they will strike the first blow.

"Israel is the coordinating center for the Axis countries which oppose Syria. [These] countries consider the current ruling circle in Syria to be depriving and harming their interests in the region. One example of this claim is the position taken by the U.S. following the Israeli attack on Syrian soil, [as expressed by] U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. [He said:] 'Syria should not further destabilize the region by transferring weaponry to Hizbullah.'

"Sergei Lavrov (the Russian foreign minister) has acknowledged that the attempt to depose the Assad regime, and change the regime, is part of a greater political game in the region – the ultimate target of which is Iran... In any case, as stated, Iran is the final target of the Axis machinations in the Syria war. The popular revolutions in the region... have an Islamic fragrance and tint; that is why only by destroying Iran can there be a spark of hope that these revolutions that imitate Islamic Iran will not spread to all corners of the earth.

"Of course, the Allies in the Syria war perceive Israel's existence in the region in the same way – that is, that it conflicts with the existence of several governments and ideologies [in the region – i.e. those of Iran, Syria, and Hizbullah]. So, attacking and completely eradicating Israel from the planet is the only solution to this problem. If this problem isn't resolved with this golden opportunity, it is not known when there may be another.

"The new Allies are Iran, Russia, Syria, and the Lebanese Hizbullah – countries that, much like the Allies in World War II, are defensive and will deliver the second strike. That is, they will defend [themselves] only after being attacked. These countries can be abbreviated as 'Risl' (Russia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon).

"One of the main differences between the Syria war and World War II is the number of major countries involved on both sides. In World War II, the Axis countries – the aggressor and invading countries – were the minority, and the Allies, the victims, were the majority.

"In the Syria war, it's the reverse. The only victims are Syria and Iran, and just a few countries will come to their aid. But the stubborn rebellious countries that can no longer tolerate the policy inspired by Islamic Iran and Syria's serving as a bridge between Iran and Hizbullah are more numerous. Even though there are fewer than 10 Axis countries in the Syria war, most of the neutral countries will repeatedly provide them with material and moral support."

"[Then] World War III Will Erupt... And That Game Will Have No Winners... Once The War Escalates, The Threat Of [Nuclear] Weapons... Will Make The Other Side Launch A Nuclear War"

"Another important difference between World War II and the Syria war that will eventually lead to World War III, is the playing field. Unlike World War II, the Syria war began in a single country; the invading players [intend for it] to end in a second country, Iran.

"But the two wars are also similar: The Allies, with Iran at their center, will shift the game outside these two countries, so that the main game will begin [when] all the countries complying with the Axis interests, with America at their center, are targeted.

"[Then] World War III will erupt... and that game will have no winners. Both sides will lose, because some countries on both sides have nuclear weapons. Once the war escalates, the threat of these weapons... will make the other side launch a nuclear war.

"So nothing can be expected but the destruction of all humanity. But even before nuclear weapons are used, World War III could cost more than five times as many lives as World War II – some 260 million."

Countdown To An Attack On Israel

"No sane researcher has yet managed to justify Israel's desperate experiment in attacking Syria on its soil from the air... and we must thank Israel's senior commanders... for providing Syria, and of course Iran, with this golden opportunity to attack Israel.

"A group of Allied commandos must be dispatched to Syria via [the Syrian port city of] Tartus to completely expel the terrorists [i.e. the rebels] from Syria, in order to [achieve] absolute security stability there. Naturally, after that we must equip and upgrade the Syrian forces for the final blow against Israel, [a blow that will continue] until it is totally destroyed. We must in no way repeat the mistake of the Gaza [war] – accepting a ceasefire.

"It was a mistake to accept the ceasefire with Israel during the Gaza [war]. I repeatedly said that Gaza must not do so, and that the Iranian statesmen shouldn't have attempted to draw up a ceasefire. Accepting the ceasefire meant [granting] Israel new life, while the Israelis and their false government must not be [allowed] to breathe.

"The Israelis must have no rest, no tranquility. In the recent Gaza-Israel war, some 20 Israelis were killed and over 90 were wounded. Without this shameful event [i.e. Gaza's agreement to a] ceasefire, there would have been more than 100 Israelis dead and thousands wounded. The Israelis would have lost their nerve, and would have left the occupied territories. Instead of planning an attack in Syria, Israel's false government would have had a crisis of survival on its hands."

The Doctrine Of Preemptive Attack According To The View Of The Shi'ite Imam Ali – "With Hopes Of Completely Eradicating Israel From The Planet"

"Because the Allied countries in the Syria war are Muslim, they must read Sermon No. 27 in [the book] Nahj Al-Balaghah [a collection of sermons attributed to the Shi'ite Imam Ali] to the Muslim statesmen and nations – not only out of courtesy, but because implementing [what it says] will ensure the security and happiness of the Muslim nations.

"[In this sermon,] Ali said: '...I called on you to fight your enemies – by day and by night, in secret and in the open. I said: Attack them before they fight you. I swear by God, every nation that is attacked on its own soil will be humiliated. But you [who heeded me not] have become weak, and your lot has been misery, and therefore the enemy has attacked you again and again, and conquered your lands... I swear by God, this reality in which the enemies are united in their lies and you are divided in your truth, sorrows and breaks the human heart. They attack you, and you do not attack them. They fight you, and you do not fight them. Such sins towards God satisfy your will. I swear by God that you are fleeing the sword.'

"I have several times declared my positive view of a preemptive attack on Israel – but now that Israel has officially attacked Syrian territory, there remains no excuse for not [waging] a total multipartite attack on Israeli soil, with hopes of completely eradicating Israel from the planet (Allah willing)."