TEHRAN – A senior Hezbollah official says U.S. and Israeli hostility toward Tehran stems from Iran’s role in thwarting the ‘Greater Israel’ project.
Sheikh Ali Damoush, chief of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, said on Saturday that Washington and Israel are targeting the Islamic Republic also because of its “Islamic and revolutionary nature.”
“The enmity of America and the Zionist regime, and their attempts to strike the Islamic Republic of Iran, are due to its Islamic-revolutionary identity,” he said, Press TV reported.
Damoush added that Iran has been singled out because it remains the only country firmly positioned in the axis of confrontation against the Israeli occupation.
He also warned of efforts to drag the region into a new conflict, noting any war against Iran “would benefit Israel before it benefits America.”
The remarks come amid increasing U.S. military buildup in the region and Washington’s threats against Iran in recent weeks. The military buildup and threats are in sharp contrast to the resumption of a new round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.
According to Damoush, Tel Aviv has been trying to derail negotiations between Tehran and Washington and has been seeking pretexts to ignite a war.
After the nuclear negotiations in Oman on Feb. 6, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a hasty trip to Washington to poison the talks.
Turning to the idea of so-called “Greater Israel,” Damoush said Iran and the Axis of Resistance have blocked Israeli expansionism and prevented the realization of the conspiracy.
“The realization of this project and enabling this regime to dominate the region has one key path: the elimination of Iran and its regional allies. However, they stand in the way of Israel,” he said.
The term “Greater Israel” has resurfaced in Israeli political discourse in recent years. In August last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli media he felt a deep connection to “this vision,” referring to Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as well as parts of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and described it as “a historical and spiritual mission.” The remarks drew strong condemnation from several regional countries.
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