Impending Response: Netanyahu’s Deadly Escalations and the Axis of Resistance’s Tactical Delay

Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump. These meetings reportedly involved planning conspiracies that are set to be executed with American backing. Many U.S. officials have been cozying up to the Zionist lobby, eager to serve the Israeli entity, whose global image is increasingly tarnished by the blood of children and women.

Zionist Atrocity in Majdal Shams: A Massacre of the Druze Community

On the evening of Saturday, July 27, the criminal Zionist entity committed a massacre against the Druze in Majdal Shams, located in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The killings occurred when an Israeli interceptor missile struck a football field, killing 12 teenagers and injuring 30 others. In response, Netanyahu cut short his visit and returned to Israel, threatening retaliation against Hezbollah, which denied any involvement in the incident. Hezbollah informed the United Nations that the massacre was committed by an Israeli interceptor missile.

Assassination Plots and Escalation

The conspiracies were hatched in Washington, providing Netanyahu with a pretext to thunderously call for an attack. He returned to Israel to convene the Security Cabinet, laying the groundwork for an assault on Beirut’s southern suburbs and the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Sayyid Fouad Shukr in a civilian building on the evening of Tuesday, July 30. However, the residents of Majdal Shams exposed Netanyahu’s false justifications and thwarted his plans to incite sectarian strife.

In the early hours of Wednesday, July 31, the criminal Zionist entity assassinated the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The Hamas leader was in Iran as an official guest, attending the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Iranian president.

In the hours following the assassination, there were no significant calls from American or Western officials urging restraint or adherence to the prisoner exchange agreement to avoid escalating the conflict. Instead, Netanyahu’s reckless actions were portrayed as decisive victories that would settle the ongoing struggle in his favor.

Calls for Retaliation

A crime of this magnitude could not go unanswered, as it struck at the sovereignty, dignity, and honor of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Consequently, the highest Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, swiftly affirmed the inevitability of a strong and appropriate response to this crime, which could not be overlooked. The criminal must now await harsh retribution.

In his address during the funeral of the martyred commander Sayyid Fouad Shukr, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation against the Zionist criminals, warning them, “Laugh very little and cry a lot because you do not know the red lines you have crossed. The enemy and those behind it must wait for our inevitable response, In Sha Allah.” He emphasized that there is no debate on this issue and that the battlefield and its circumstances will dictate the response. “We seek a real, well-considered response, not a superficial one,” he stated.

In his first appearance following the assassination of the martyr leader Ismail Haniyeh, Sayyid Abdulmalik Badruddin al-Houthi, leader of the Yemeni resistance movement, reaffirmed the stance of the Axis of Resistance, stating that military retaliation for the grave crimes and significant Israeli escalation is inevitable. He stressed that efforts are underway to ensure a response, adding that “changes will come” that will be detrimental to the Israeli enemy and disgraceful to those who gloat.

The Tri-Partite Statement and the Dawn Massacre

In the early hours of Friday, August 9, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt issued a joint statement regarding what they termed a “ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” The statement declared that the time had come to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and to release prisoners and detainees. Urgent discussions were to resume on Wednesday or Thursday, August 15, in Doha or Cairo to close all remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without further delays. Unusually, Netanyahu agreed to send his negotiating team at the appointed time.

The statement comes amidst American maneuvers to reduce the level of retaliation from the Axis of Resistance in response to the enemy’s escalation through the assassinations of leaders. Hamas had shown flexibility at various stages of the negotiations and accepted the latest proposal for a ceasefire, while the Zionist entity continued its aggression, escalating matters to this point.

The tri-partite statement followed the failure to pressure Iran by all available means, reflecting a clear concern for sparing the illegitimate entity from punishment—a notion vehemently rejected by the leaders of the Axis of Resistance. Consequently, all American attempts at deceit and manipulation through negotiations have failed, as there has been no breakthrough in the possibility of the enemy accepting the conditions set by the Palestinian resistance.

Political analysts view the tri-partite statement as an American attempt to shift the blame onto the Axis for the failure of what they claim are final ceasefire negotiations. However, such accusations and any other claims will not impede the inevitable retaliation dictated by the battlefield’s circumstances.

Yesterday at dawn, during Fajr prayer, the Israeli enemy committed the horrific “Dawn Massacre” against al-Tabin School, which was housing displaced persons in the al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. According to Gaza’s government media, the attack involved three missiles, each weighing 2,000 pounds of explosives, resulting in the martyrdom of over 100 people, with dozens more missing or injured. This massacre exposes the false claims made by the U.S. and its promotion of a deceptive narrative regarding ceasefire negotiations, as women and children in Gaza continue to be killed by American-made weapons.

A “Purely Tactical Matter”

The American newspaper The Washington Post highlighted concerns in “Israel” regarding “the strength of the U.S.-led coalition and the capability of its air defense systems to fend off a complex attack,” which officials believe “could be surprising, broader, longer, and coordinated from multiple directions.”

The delay in retaliating against the enemy’s escalations, particularly the assassinations of leaders, has captured the attention of most Arab and international media outlets. Zionist channels remain focused on the potential retaliation and its nature, with many Zionist leaders acknowledging that the waiting is itself part of the response. Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon remarked, “Our very tense waiting is part of the other side’s response.”

Experts believe that the leaders of the Axis of Resistance have already achieved a psychological victory over the Zionist entity by keeping nearly nine million Zionist settlers on edge, with their eyes constantly on the bomb shelters.

Beyond simply waiting as part of the strategy, Sayyid Abdulmalik Badruddin al-Houthi clarified in his speech last Thursday that the delay in retaliation is intentional and due to meticulous preparations. He emphasized that the postponement of the Axis’s response to Israeli escalations, including the assassinations and earlier aggression in al-Hodeidah, is a “purely tactical decision.” This strategy is designed to ensure the response is powerful and effective, taking into account the Israeli enemy’s defensive measures, which are being bolstered by the U.S., Western allies, and certain Arab regimes, in an attempt to minimize the impact of the impending retaliation.