Former IRGC Chief Mohsen Rezaee: The Terrorists In Aleppo Have Stabbed The Islamic Nation In The Back, This Is High Treason: Al-Jazeera TV Host: They Are Not Terrorists, Their Struggle Did Not Start Now Just Like Hamas's Struggle Did Not Start On October 7

In a December 1, 2024 interview on Al-Jazeera Network, former IRGC commander-in-chief Mohsen Rezaee claimed that Israel and the U.S. orchestrated the recent Islamist militants’ insurgence into Aleppo. He suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had prior knowledge of the attack in Aleppo. When the interviewer pushed back, questioning Iran’s support for a regime responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of millions, Rezaee defended the Syrian government. He labeled opposition forces, including Turkish-backed groups, as "terrorists" serving Israel and the U.S., accusing them of high treason and undermining the Islamic nation. Rezaee continued to stress that armed struggles within Islamic countries are unacceptable, and that Iran must prevent Israel and the U.S. from reshaping the Middle East.

Mohsen Rezaee: "What is happening in Aleppo, Syria today is [orchestrated] entirely by the Israelis and the Americans, and the proof is that Netanyahu knew about this attack two weeks ago."

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Interviewer: "Mr. Rezaee, with all due respect, the Syrian revolution and the attempts to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad, have been going on for 11 years if not more. They were not born last Wednesday, just like what Hamas did was not born on October 7th. That is one point.

"Secondly, I'd really like to ask how is it that Iran allows itself to support a regime that is responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of its own people, and driving about 10 million Syrians out of the country? These people are certainly not the 'terrorists' you are talking about, Mr. Rezaee. I hope we will get to talk about the use of the word 'terrorists.'

"When Iran supported Hizbullah, it was understandable, because it supported the resistance in Lebanon against Israel, but why are you supporting a regime that is accused of killing its own people and the displacement of millions of people?"

Rezaee: "The whole world, and even the Turks, say that these are terrorists. They are terrorists in the service of Israel and the United States. At the most difficult times for the Islamic world, they are stabbing the Islamic nation in the back, and this constitutes high treason. The Islamic world will never forget these traitors.

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"What can we possibly call these people if not terrorists? Who is a terrorist if not them? I believe you are wrong, and you must change your approach.

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"Along with Russia and Turkey, we reached a ceasefire agreement. Why do they launch these armed attacks, when there is an agreement in place? They could have expressed their views through Syria and the Astana meetings. Armed conflicts in Islamic countries and societies are unacceptable. We must try to unite the Islamic armies, in order to ensure security and peace in the region. We must not follow America and Israel. The days of American and Israeli hegemony are over. They will not be able to create a New Middle East."