Back to war?
Former IRGC Commander Rezaei Calls on Hezbollah to End “Restraint Strategy”
As Iran’s former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei urges Hezbollah to abandon its “restraint” and strike back at Israel, the region braces for potential upheaval, just days before Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit to Lebanon, a trip meant to promote peace amid rising tensions.
Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is urging Hezbollah to launch a forceful response to recent Israeli targeted killings, declaring that the current policy of restraint in Lebanon “must come to an end.”
Rezaei warned that Israel “believes eliminating commanders will break the spirit of the peoples, but every assassination only brings it closer to its end.”
“The restraint has reached its limit, there must be a finishing point,” he said, in comments carried by Iranian media.
The remarks come amid escalating tensions and a series of high-profile Israeli strikes on senior Hezbollah operatives, including eliminating the de facto Chief of Hezbollah, Ali Tabatabai two days ago.
As reported by Open Source Intel, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar’s front page this morning read:
"Elimination of Tabatabai - the enemy clings to madness. Hezbollah commits to ambiguity regarding the response to the crime and refuses any compromise regarding its weapons. The enemy is preparing the ground for a broader aggression, and its agents [i.e. America] are assisting it in the demand for immediate disarmament."
While it's possible that Israel is indeed planning to attack Hezbollah terror targets on the ground in Lebanon, with America's blessing, it's virtually impossible that they would launch the operation until the Pope leaves Lebanon.
Pope Leo XIV's upcoming apostolic journey, his first international trip since assuming the papacy, will take him to Turkey from November 27 to 30, 2025, followed by Lebanon from November 30 to December 2, 2025.
The visit coincides with the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea, emphasizing themes of peace, ecumenism, Christian unity, and support for regions affected by conflict and crisis.
In Lebanon, amid ongoing regional tensions, the Pope aims to deliver a message of hope, promote interfaith dialogue, and inspire youth while commemorating local tragedies like the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.
It would be ironic indeed if his visit concluded and was immediately followed by an escalation in cross border hostilities. On the other hand, it has also been reported that one of the reasons for his visit is to prevent war.
Never a dull moment in the Middle East.