Assassinations, Energy Strikes, Ground Invasion: Report Reveals Israel's Opening Move If Iran War Resumes
Lebanon's Al-Akhbar, aligned with Hezbollah, published a detailed account of what it claims would be Israel's opening strike plan if the Iran war resumes, from mass assassinations to a possible ground operation inside Iran. Here's what it says, and why to read it carefully.
A Lebanese newspaper with close ties to Hezbollah published a detailed account Wednesday of what it claims would be Israel's opening military campaign if the war with Iran resumes, describing a phased operation involving mass assassinations, energy infrastructure strikes, and a possible joint US-Israeli ground operation inside Iran.
The report, written by Ibrahim al-Amin, editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar, a publication openly aligned with Hezbollah, laid out what it described as Israel's planned "first strike" doctrine in the event that ongoing ceasefire negotiations collapse.
What the Report Claims
According to Al-Akhbar, Israel's opening move would be a sweeping assassination campaign targeting senior military and civilian figures associated with both Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian regime, similar in scale to the decapitation strikes that opened the February 28 war, when the US and Israel assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the conflict's opening salvo.
The second phase, per the report, would involve large-scale "shock and awe" strikes designed to deliver both a military and psychological blow, what Al-Akhbar describes as a "showcase policy," comparable to Israel's aerial campaign in Lebanon following the earlier Iran ceasefire, during which Israel claimed to have eliminated 300 Hezbollah operatives in rapid succession.
The third phase would target Iran's energy infrastructure directly: oil facilities, power stations, electricity grids, and gas fields, a campaign Israel reportedly believes would impose enormous economic costs and a lengthy reconstruction period on Iran, while simultaneously attempting to trigger internal protests. Al-Akhbar claims Israel is coordinating such efforts with Iranian dissidents and neighboring states including the UAE and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Simultaneous strikes would also target Iran's military-industrial complex, missile depots, command centers, and research facilities tied to Iran's nuclear and weapons programs.
Finally, the report raises the possibility of a joint US-Israeli ground operation inside Iran, involving special forces targeting nuclear-related sites and potentially attempting to capture senior Iranian officials.
Why This Matters - and Why to Read It With Caution
Al-Akhbar is not a neutral observer. The paper is editorially aligned with Hezbollah and its reporting on Israeli military plans should be read as reflecting the intelligence assessments and strategic interests of the Axis of Resistance, not necessarily confirmed Israeli intentions.
That said, the report's broad outlines are consistent with what has already occurred. Israel has carried out dozens of targeted killings throughout the current conflict, with a senior Israeli intelligence official telling the Associated Press that the decapitation strikes had degraded political leaders' ability to issue orders, form policy and make decisions. And the opening US-Israeli salvo on February 28 took out the heart of the Iranian regime, triggering a torrent of hundreds of retaliatory missiles and thousands of drones across the Middle East.
The report comes as ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran remain deadlocked and as the IRGC issued threats Wednesday warning that any renewed aggression would spread the war "beyond the region" - to Europe.