— ❗️🇸🇦/🇵🇸 The Islamic Resistance in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques (Saudi Arabia) has released a statement:

'This military operation is an expression of the living will of the people of the Arabian Peninsula, and it will be followed by other diverse operations in the face of the Zionist occupation.

We affirm that our jihadist contribution to the Resistance Axis in combating the Israeli aggression in these sensitive historical times is a testament to the character of our noble and honorable resistance, and an affirmation of its Jihad project that aspires towards truth and justice, and belongs with its spirit, mind and sacrifices to the resistant and dear nation.

We declare that the resistance will continue its jihadist activity in support of our resistant Palestinian and Lebanese people, and we will not stop until the Zionist aggression on Gaza and Lebanon stops.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇸🇦/🇮🇷 NOTE: The attack was probably carried out by Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, an Iranian-backed Shia Islamic resistance group, which is mostly active in the Shia-majority 'Eastern Region' (Mintaqah al-Sharqiyah) of Saudi Arabia

The group rose to fame after the 1996 bombings on a U.S. military barracks in Khobar, eastern Saudi Arabia, killing 19 and injuring hundreds. They have been mostly inactive since then, at least militarily, but it is no secret that Qatif and other Shia-majority areas in Saudi Arabia have heavy Iranian influence.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— Not to disrespect my Sunni brothers, but it is Shias all across the Middle East that are taking up arms against Israel, even in Sunni-majority countries where the Shia population barely has a political foothold.

The only Sunnis that are currently fighting against Israel are Hamas, the PIJ and some other Palestinian factions, which is obvious and self-explanatory, because they are the ones being directly attacked in their country, so of course they will resist.

But there is Iran, there is Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansarullah in Yemen, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain, and now the Islamic Resistance in Saudi Arabia. All of them are Shia. All of them are sacrificing themselves for Palestine, when they have nothing to do with it.

Is there not a single group of Sunni Muslims willing to sacrifice themselves? In Egypt for example, which has 100 million inhabitants and borders Gaza. Or what about Jordan?

I can really only draw one conclusion: Resistance against oppression is a core concept within Shia Islam, but not within Sunni Islam. This theological & ideological difference, where Shiism emphasizes resistance and Sunnism emphasizes pacifism, is becoming clearer day by day.

For some reason, only when it happens to aligns with US and Israeli interests (like in Syria), the Sunnis have no issue taking up arms against their government or waging a violent war.

Thankfully, more and more people are starting to see that the only way to defeat US-Israeli hegemony in the Middle East is Islamic Unity. Only if Shias and Sunnis work together, the Islamic World can become strong enough to thwart the enemy aggression once and for all.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇷 Khordad-15 long range air defense systems on the move in Iran

@Middle_East_Spectator

— ❗️🇮🇷 Full statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran:

'To the noble and zealous nation of Islamic Iran: This morning, Zionist enemy jets, in an overt aggression and against international law, launched from Iraqi airspace about one hundred kilometers from the borders of Iran, a number of long-range airborne ballistic missiles with very light warheads, about one fifth of the warhead size of Iran's ballistic missiles, towards several border radars in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and around Tehran province. Many of these radars were immediately restored, are some now in the process of being repaired.

In this illegitimate and illegal act, due to the readiness of the country's air defenses, a significant number of the missiles were tracked and intercepted, and enemy jets were prevented from entering the country's airspace.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, while reserving its legal and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate time, emphasizes the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon to prevent the killing of the helpless and oppressed people.

The terrorist and criminal government of the United States, which plays a central role in supporting and encouraging the criminal actions of the Zionist regime in disrupting the security of the region, is warned to prevent the spread of conflict and instability in the region and the killing of innocent people, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.

We urge the United States to restrain itself and the illegitimate regime it supports (Israel) to avoid getting itself and its allies dragged into the endless quagmire that the Zionist regime has created.

The honorable people of Iran, the media, experts and analysts are requested not to pay attention to the rumors and unreliable enemy narratives and to follow the correct news through official sources and national media.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— ❗️🇮🇷 Statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces (summary):

– Last night, Israeli jets launched several long-range airborne ballistic missiles, with very light warheads, from Iraqi airspace.

– They targeted radar sites in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam. Several of these radars were hit, some of them were immediately restored and others are now being repaired.

– A significant amount of the missiles were intercepted and no Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace.

– Iran reserves the legal right to respond at a time and place of its choosing and urges a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

– Iran urges the United States to restrain itself and the Israeli regime.

@Middle_East_Spectator

🟡✌🏼/🇮🇱 BREAKING: Hezbollah just uploaded the following:

⭕️إلى مستوطني الشمال... ترقبوا إعلانًا من المقاومة الإسلامية

⭕️אל מתנחלי הצפון... מיד הודעה של ההתנגדות האסלמית

It reads:

⭕️ To the settlers of the north... stay tuned for an announcement from the Islamic resistance.

🔸@SNNenglish

⚡️🇺🇸🇮🇷 The US says it hopes Iran will not respond

@medmannews

— 🇮🇷 One of Iran's largest newspapers, 'Vatan Emrooz', front page for tomorrow:

'Iran must respond'

@Middle_East_Spectator

In my estimation, a response is certain. The first direct Israeli attack on Iran cannot go unanswered, no matter how minor it was.

The view of the political and military leadership is also arriving at this conclusion. If we do not respond, we will set a bad precedent for the future, and the scope of Israel's attacks will gradually increase.

Iran now needs to take the reigns into its hand, and begin to take control of the escalation ladder and the pace of the battle.

The time of not responding to 'minor attacks' is over. The Zionists must be disciplined and beaten into submission.

We clearly have the military upper hand, the time to make up for past restraint is now.

🇮🇷| Iran’s national security expert, Mahdi Mohammadi:

“Israel's exposed weaknesses should be leveraged to realign the security and geopolitical equation across the entire region.”

— 🇮🇷 Four locations seem to have been hit, as per the current information:

1. Three to four minor impacts at a missile fuel mixing facility (likely for missiles) in Khojir and some of its support buildings in Parchin. Unclear if the installation was active.

2. One impact on a warehouse in Shamsabad Industrial City near Imam Khomeini Intl. Airport, 'Taksaz Industrial Innovators En.Co', a company related to agriculture and mining equipment.

3. One alleged impact at a radar site near Tehran province.

4. Impacts at radar sites in Dezful / Andimeshk in the South-Western air defense sector in Khuzestan province, and possibly also in Ilam province.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇷 NEW: Satellite imagery shows damage to two mixer buildings in Khojir fuel mixing facility, which is used for making fuel for short to medium range air-defense missiles and ATGMs, NOT ballistic missiles

The sheds still seem to be standing and only partially destroyed, indicating an extremely light warhead or possibly even drones.

The practical impact of this attack is zero. Now we have to wait for satellite imagery of the targeted air defense arrays in South-Western Iran. In any case, so far, so good.

@Middle_East_Spectator

یاران همه رفتند، افسوس که جا مانده منم
حسرتا این گل خارا، همه جا رانده منم
پیر ره آمد و طریق رفتن آموخت
آنکه نا رفته و جا مانده منم