IntelBrief: Middle East on Edge as Conflict in Gaza Expands Throughout the Region

Bottom Line Up Front

• Iran’s “axis of resistance,” comprised of groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Houthi rebels in Yemen, and mostly Shia militia groups in Iraq and Syria, demonstrates the success of General Qassem Soleimani’s blueprint for spreading Iranian influence throughout the Middle East.
• Yesterday, on the day marking Soleimani’s death, a pair of explosions at a memorial near his grave resulted in at least 95 killed and another 211 wounded, according to press reports, although there has been no claim of responsibility by the perpetrators of the attack to date.
• In a long-awaited speech delivered on Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called the recent killing of Hamas senior leader Saleh al-Arouri “dangerous” and assured that Hezbollah will retaliate while making certain to differentiate between retaliation and unbridled, open warfare with Israel.
• Nasrallah’s address also reiterated the point that all members of the axis of resistance “operate independently of each other, each in its own country,” noting that “we consult with each other, but each one makes decisions based on its interests and those of its population.”