General Gholamali Rashid, the commander of Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters of Iran's armed forces, said that the U.S. and the Zionist regime are angry at Iran's "regional power," because they know that in addition to Iran's local military forces, it now has armed forces in countries beyond its border, who will come to its defense if invaded. He made his remarks in a speech at a ceremony commemorating the Iran-Iraq war that aired on IRINN TV (Iran) on September 25, 2021.
General Rashid said that three months before the "martyrdom" of IRGC Qods Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, he briefed the Iranian joint military command at the Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters, saying that he created a "corridor" to the Mediterranean Sea, with six "armies" outside of Iran who will fight on its behalf. He went on to list the forces, saying that in Lebanon there is Hizbullah, in Palestine, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an army in Syria, in Iraq there is the PMU and Ansar Allah, or the Houthis, in Yemen. For more information about General Gholamali Rashid, see MEMRI TV clip no 8174.
To view the clip of IRGC General Gholamali Rashid on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Three Months Before His Martyrdom, General Soleimani Said: 'I Assembled Six Armies Outside Iranian Territory And Created A Corridor To The Mediterranean Sea'
Gholamali Rashid: "In the 1980's, we lacked defense and security alliances with other governments and countries. We have changed this now by connecting with other nations and some governments, thus creating popular, religiously devout, regional forces. May God have mercy upon the martyr Hajj Qasem Soleimani. Three months before his martyrdom, at a meeting of the Khatam Al-Alanbiya HQ, with the commanders of the armed forces, he said:
"'My dear [comrades], with the backing of the IRGC command, the army command, the general command of the armed forces, and of the Defense Ministry: I have assembled for you six armies outside of Iran's territory, and I have created a corridor 1,500km long and 1,000km wide, all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In this corridor, there are six religiously devout and popular divisions.
"Any enemy that decides to fight against the Islamic Revolution, and against the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will have to go through these six armies. It won't be able to do so.
Iran's Armies Are In Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, And Yemen; "This Has Created A Deterrence In The Service Of Our Dear Iran"
"'One army is in Lebanon. It is called Hizbullah. Another army is in Palestine, and it is called Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
"One army is in Syria. Another army is in Iraq, and is called the PMU, and another army is in Yemen and is called Ansar Allah [Houthis.]'
"This has created deterrence in the service of our dear Iran. The anger of the trespassing Americans and of the Zionist regime with regard to Iran's regional power stems from their realization that the Islamic Republic of Iran possesses two elements of power:
"The first is a powerful armed force which is ready for battle, and prepared to defend from within Iran's territory against any foreign invader, and the second is a regional force outside of Iran's territory."
