<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-top-anchor"></div>
<div id="gmail-toolbar" class="gmail-toolbar-container">
</div><div class="gmail-container" lang="en-EN" dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element">
<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/opinion/-victory-or-martyrdom---the-liberation-of-al-quds-is-in-reac">english.almayadeen.net</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">\u2018Victory or martyrdom\u2019: The liberation of Al-Quds is in reach</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Robert Inlakesh</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">June 20, 2025</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Robert
Inlakesh argues that "Israel\u2019s" strike on Iran has backfired,
triggering a broader regional war that could lead to the liberation of
Al\u2011Quds.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/6/20/1cdca84f-e049-407a-9126-fe31d8a7b3f9.jpg?width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/6/20/1cdca84f-e049-407a-9126-fe31d8a7b3f9.jpg?width=1000&preset=w700" alt="For a while, it appeared as if the war was over, but Iran has now breathed new life into the spirits of the people in Gaza. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
For a while, it appeared as if the war was over, but Iran
has now breathed new life into the spirits of the people in Gaza. (Al
Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)
</li></div></ul>
<p>The unprovoked war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran
may have set in motion a series of events that will lead to what has
long been referred to as the \u201cfinal war of liberation\u201d. Although this
may seem hyperbolic, if the war does not end soon, the only end is
regime change in Iran or regime change in occupied Palestine.</p>
<p>The Zionist Entity appears to have fallen to its own propaganda and
went too far with its attack on Iran, believing that what it sought to
achieve would cripple the Iranian capability to quickly mount a solid
response and lead to a somewhat limited exchange. It is clear that this
was a catastrophic miscalculation.</p>
<p>Throughout the 20 months of genocide that have been inflicted against
the people of Gaza, the Zionist regime has failed to find an image of
victory. Despite inflicting occasional tactical defeats against the
Palestinian Resistance, Iran\u2019s IRGC and most notably Hezbollah, through
assassinations and intelligence operations that use terrorist tactics,
the Zionists hadn\u2019t strategically defeated any of its opposition.</p>
<p>Instead, Hamas and all of the other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza
are still alive and well. Hezbollah survived. Despite the existential
threat posed to the Lebanese Party, they still managed to defeat the
Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon under the worst possible
circumstances. Yemen, on the other hand, forced the US military to back
off and continued firing upon the Zionist regime on a daily basis in
support of Gaza.</p>
<p>While failing to win on any front, the despicable slaughter of
innocent people, most notably in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Syria, and
Yemen, turned most of the global public against the Israeli regime.
This, as the Zionist project saw the closure of tens of thousands of
businesses, the loss of investments, the escape of around a million
citizens, and a steep economic decline.</p>
<p>Combined with all of this, the regime\u2019s Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, began purging all critical voices of his rule and replacing
senior officials with yes men and personal allies. Meanwhile, cracks
within Israeli society began growing and periodically causing bursts of
unrest.</p>
<p>The Israeli military never actually went after Hamas and the
Palestinian Resistance in Gaza on the ground. Until this day, there is
virtually no footage showing Israelis carrying out close quarters
offensive combat missions and clashing directly with Palestinian
fighters. Instead, they hid like cowards in their armored military
vehicles, rushed into areas to set up secure positions and used their
Air Force as cover, only occasionally launching special forces
operations.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Palestinian armed groups launched daring ambushes
against the invading occupation forces, as the Israelis almost always
concluded their \u201coperation\u201d with an invasion of a major hospital that
they took over and used as a military base.</p>
<p>Instead of fighting head on like a real army, the Israeli
participation trophy force - which grants 19-year-olds the rank of
Sergeant - carried out a genocide instead. Their goal? To solve the Gaza
question. By expelling and exterminating the civilian population, while
making Gaza uninhabitable, they foolishly believed this would
eventually lead to the collapse of the Resistance. To their surprise,
the Resistance only recruited more into its ranks and, with limited
means, continued to resist.</p>
<p>The Zionists briefly paused their genocide, but soon after violated
the ceasefire they agreed upon, only to escalate their daily slaughter
of civilians. \u201cOperation Gideon\u2019s Chariots\u201d was sold to the Israeli
public as \u201cphase 2\u201d of the war on Gaza, yet it quickly became clear that
it was simply more of the same. The difference being that the highly
degraded Israeli army now sought to use the so-called \u201cGaza Humanitarian
Foundation\u201d to aid a new displacement and starvation agenda, while
contracting ISIS-linked gangsters to do their dirty work for them.</p>
<p>In Syria, the Zionist Entity continued invading new territory in the
south and frequently committed bombing campaigns throughout the country.
This is despite the new Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, working with
the Israelis on security coordination and even signaling his intent to
normalize ties.</p>
<p>In Lebanon, the Zionist regime refused to leave the south and
committed well over 3,000 violations of the ceasefire since November 27,
2024. It continued to kidnap Lebanese civilians, carry out
assassinations, bombard the south, Beqaa Valley, and even occasionally
strike civilian buildings in Beirut. Israeli drones and fighter jets
roamed the skies of Lebanon every day, and the Lebanese Army did not
resist them with a single bullet. </p>
<p>The unhinged settler-colonial entity made its expansionist endeavors
crystal clear and its leader, Netanyahu, constantly mouthed off about
\u201ctotal victory\u201d in a \u201cseven front war\u201d. Meanwhile, the United States and
most Western European leaders stood by and watched it all happen, not
even bothering to condemn, let alone halt all trade or apply sanctions.</p>
<p>The Israelis stood plausibly accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ), and its Prime Minister became a wanted war
criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Every major rights
group, including B\u2019Tselem, accused the Zionist entity of Genocide in
Gaza. Millions around the world took to the streets, week-in week-out,
pleading with their governments to take action. The students across
North America and in different nations in Europe stood up, many
sacrificing their degrees and possible future employment.</p>
<p>In the end, the Zionist Entity faced no real punishment from the
so-called \u201cinternational community\u201d, beyond occasional statements and a
few brave leaderships that took limited actions to impose a price.</p>
<p>What happened in the past 20 months is the death of International Law
and Human Rights, these concepts now rest under the rubble of Gaza,
along with the bodies of thousands of children who are yet to be
recovered.</p>
<h2><strong>Iran finally took off the gloves</strong></h2>
<p>During this period of time, Iran received blow after blow. Its
embassy in Damascus was bombed, Hamas leader Ismail Hanniyeh was
assassinated in Tehran, and top IRGC officials were assassinated time
and time again. </p>
<p>Then came the terrorist pager attacks in Lebanon, which injured
thousands, including many civilians, and even killed women and children.
The cornerstones of the West\u2019s so-called \u201cliberal free press\u201d who we
have been told uphold the gold standard of journalism? They praised the
pager attack that even former CIA Director Leon Panetta called
terrorism.</p>
<p>Donald Trump took office, his campaign bankrolled by a who's who of
Zionist billionaires like Miriam Adelson, then proceeded to threaten
taking over Gaza and turning it into a sleazy ruling class casino. The
unserious, mentally incompetent front man for the war machine only
encouraged Israeli militaristic-adventurism further.</p>
<p>For some time, it appeared as if Gaza was going to be continuously
crushed without anyone stepping in to stop it, beyond Yemen, which
proved itself the only nation on earth to be dedicated enough to the
cause of justice to wage a military intervention with its limited means
from so far away. Fatigue and a sense of hopelessness swept its way
across the region, especially after Hezbollah exited the fight.</p>
<p>But when all else seemed lost, one power remained standing in the way
of the bloodthirsty Zionist regime\u2019s plot, as its US allies frothed at
the mouth, waiting to prey on the remains of the steadfast Palestinian
people: that power was Iran.</p>
<p>The final goal for the Zionist Entity was to deliver a blow to the
Iranian people, one that could lead to a gradual regime change. However,
when the Israeli regime delivered its blows, it went too far, and the
Iranians delivered responses beyond what anybody had anticipated. Enough
was enough.</p>
<h2><strong>The Israeli Miscalculation</strong></h2>
<p>When the Zionist regime launched its initial assault against Iran, it
made a series of mistakes. The first was to target densely populated
civilian areas, which caused horrifying scenes that will never leave the
minds of the Iranian people: a toddler laying dead in the street and a
mother trapped under the rubble, with countless civilians slaughtered in
apartment complexes.</p>
<p>The second major mistake was the assumption that the assassinations
of key IRGC leaders would put Iran into a state of confusion and
temporarily incapacitate them. All the military contacts I spoke to at
the time had given estimates that Iran would take 2-5 days to recover.
To everyone\u2019s surprise, Iran replaced its leaders, got its air defenses
back online, and launched its first devastating missile strikes, all
within 15 hours.</p>
<p>Another miscalculation was the obvious belief that the Islamic
Republic could be depended upon to strike back in a limited and measured
way. So far, it appears as if the only contingency in the event of what
happened was to try and desperately pursue regime change as soon as
possible.</p>
<p>The IRGC shook the entire world with their maximum impact strikes,
followed by a strategy of draining the Israeli-Western-Arab air defenses
guarding the Zionist Entity. Iran\u2019s attacks were truly devastating and
shocked even their most ardent supporters.</p>
<p>An issue which the Israelis now face is that even if there was to be a
ceasefire signed tomorrow, their population will likely begin to flee,
and their \u201csecurity\u201d myths will collapse. This will be the overarching
message to the Israeli public, that you are surrounded by enemies who
you cannot defeat and are still determined to end your ethno-supremacist
regime.</p>
<p>Therefore, Benjamin Netanyahu quickly appeared to desperately shift
to option two: regime change by any means. The Israelis even pulled out
their pathetic weasley puppet, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran. This
Zionist controlled collaborator has repeatedly released videos claiming
that the Islamic Republic is falling apart, desperately trying to
incite civil war in order to help the Zionist regime destroy his own
nation. Yet, none of his speeches have led to even a single recorded
protest inside Iran so far.</p>
<p>In fact, due to the brutal nature of the Israeli assault on Iran\u2019s
civilian areas, many Iranians who otherwise hate their government with a
passion have sided with it against the Zionist regime\u2019s brutality,
understanding that the assault is aimed at destroying them.</p>
<p>If we are to try and understand the Israeli perspective in launching
their assault, it has to be assumed that their logic revolved around
similar talking points circulated in the leading Israeli and American
pro-war think tanks. The most influential think tank over the Trump
administration, The Heritage Foundation, argued in a 6-page brief, that
the Israelis should attack Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities and trigger a
containable conflict.</p>
<p>All the so-called foreign policy experts were echoing the same
sentiments, that they believed taking out the Iranian nuclear program
could be achieved without triggering an all-out war. It is likely that
what emboldened the Zionists to launch such a devastating attack on
civilian areas in Tehran, was the belief that Iran would respond in a
restrained way and practice the same \u201cstrategic patience\u201d it has for
decades.</p>
<p>If it also believes its own nonsense about \u201cdestroying Hezbollah\u201d too, it will be in for an even bigger shock in the future.</p>
<p>While it is true that for some time the Iranian-led Axis of
Resistance did not take the view that the ongoing multi-front war was
existential, or should be considered the \u201cfinal war\u201d, the aggression,
unimaginable brutality, and recklessness committed by the Zionist regime
has now made them all see the war this way. Why? Because the Zionists
were defeated on October 7, 2023, and have never recovered, going crazy
and turning a single tactical defeat into an existential war for the
regime's very survival.</p>
<h2><strong>The capture of Al-Quds?</strong></h2>
<p>If there is no ceasefire, which would be an acknowledgment of
strategic defeat by the Israelis, the war will continue to escalate and
drag on. Even with US involvement, it does not change this predicament,
in fact, it only accelerates the process.</p>
<p>It would be foolish to assume that the Israelis don\u2019t have more
tricks up their sleeves, most likely involving Mossad operations,
assassinations, and terrorist attacks. It could also launch hybrid
warfare attacks and stir internal unrest. So, this should not be ruled
out.</p>
<p>But one thing is for certain, this is the opportunity for everyone
who was ever wronged by the Zionist Entity to rise up to the moment in
history. Although the spark will be Iran\u2019s missile strikes, defeating
the Israelis completely is something that would have to be achieved on
the ground.</p>
<p>When the Israeli air defenses are depleted and its air fields
destroyed, greatly hindering the effectiveness of its air force, then a
ground offensive from multiple fronts will succeed. Yet, such a ground
offensive would have to be all out, with the objective of capturing
occupied al-Quds. Hamas and Hezbollah would have to be the main actors
in this ground war.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if the groups do not want to risk it all for such an
offensive, then there is the opportunity for Hezbollah to liberate
southern Lebanon and to return its prestige, avenging the assassination
of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and all of the nation\u2019s fallen sons and
daughters. While on the other hand, the Palestinian resistance can
launch a campaign inside Gaza to force the Israeli military to retreat.
Either way, the options are all going to be costly.</p>
<p>If the occupying entity was truly seeking its survival by any means,
it would be begging for a ceasefire, in fact, it would never have
attacked Iran illegally to begin with. Yet, arrogance got the better of
it.</p>
<p>The fact is that what this criminal settler-colonial entity has
committed over the past 20 months will never go away, and the people of
the region will never stop resisting its tyranny. With every new nation
that it attacks, with each child that it slaughters, it brings its end
closer. </p>
<p>In his first speech following the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa
Flood, the martyred Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, gave a boxing analogy to the war with the Zionist entity. He
said: so far, points were being scored against the enemy, but the
knockout blow had not yet been landed. </p>
<p>After tiring the Israeli opponent out over many rounds, the big blows
have started landing, and they are wobbling. Now we wait for the moment
when the haymaker lands and sends the Israelis to canvas.</p>
<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a Jihad of victory of martyrdom\u201d has been the Palestinian
slogan in their fight against the Israelis during this genocide. For a
while, it appeared as if the war was over, but Iran has now breathed new
life into the spirits of the people in Gaza. </p>
<p>None of this had to be this way, but the Israelis chose to commit
genocide, and the US chose to back them. The corporate media and most
Western governments were also fully complicit; now they have allowed the
Israelis to get so carried away with their illegal aggression that they
have gone too far this time. Even if Iran and Lebanon are reduced to
rubble, so too will the Zionist regime. Even nuclear weapons will not
save it.</p>
<p>Evil terrorist regimes that commit genocides and attempt to conquer
all their neighbors are not built to last. Eventually, they fall to
pieces, because they make the mistake of thinking they are more powerful
than God and that their lives are more precious than the lives of
others. All fascists eventually fall, because humanity eventually wins
one way or another.</p></div></div></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div></div>
</div>
<br></div>