A rumor mill about Mujtaba Khamenei’s condition is flooding Iran

The articles we present in the customer section are from major newspapers in the world, and do not necessarily reflect Globes’ world view.

● The country that builds a secret military base for Israel and the USA
● The US could not remain silent about this move by Iran

1The unit that terrorizes Lebanon’s leaders

While the Middle East is preoccupied with the consequences of the Iran war, a new-old threat is plaguing the corridors of power in Beirut – and not from Israel or the US. According to an analysis by the Telegraph, there is a suspicion that Hezbollah’s Unit 121, known as the organization’s “death machine”, is reorganizing following outrage over an agreement it signed in Beirut with Israel – a move that neuters Hezbollah’s ability to operate.

The unit, numbering only about 20 people, most of them from families linked, according to the article, to resounding political assassinations in Lebanon, headed by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. Experts described the unit to the Telegraph as “one of the most secret and deadly units in the world, second only to a similar Russian unit, the GRU”, and added that “it is not fighting Israel, it is fighting its own citizens”.

A Lebanese politician close to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the Telegraph that “there is a great deal of awareness of Unit 121 among senior circles and it instills fear in the corridors of power.” Because of this, the security around the Prime Minister, the President and the negotiating team in the negotiations with Israel was increased.

According to the article, the unit currently reports directly to Naim Kassem, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, and receives resources directly from the Revolutionary Guards. Its methods of operation include the use of explosive charges, “staged” assassination attacks and even fiber optic drones.

The Telegraph, by Melanie Swann. To read the full article.

2Erdogan arrived at the NATO summit with a trump card in hand

“The NATO summit that opened this week in Ankara appears to be a golden opportunity for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – the geopolitical situation, led by the results of the Iran war, plays into his hands so clearly that his victory seems almost guaranteed even before the summit has opened,” according to an analysis published by Foran Policy magazine.

“US President Donald Trump has already made it clear to reporters that he is coming to Ankara ‘solely for Erdogan’ – a statement that is another small and symbolic victory for the Turkish strongman,” it said.

The article also details what Erdogan himself expects to achieve from the summit and from Trump himself: aid to the faltering Turkish economy, Turkey’s return to the US defense supply chains, including a deal for the sale of F110 jet engines to the KAAN advanced fighter jet program being developed by Ankara. In addition, Turkey hopes to integrate into the European Union’s new defense procurement mechanism – a huge program that is valued About 150 billion euros (about 171 billion dollars).

The timing, according to the analysis, is no accident: “The summit is coming together against the background of the wide-ranging consequences of the devastating Iran war, which reshaped the map of regional interests in favor of Turkey – a country that holds a key geographic and political position vis-a-vis Iran, Russia and the entire Middle East. But no matter what happens in the end in NATO, the Turkish strongman wins.”

Furan Policy, by Tana Khan. To read the full article.

3Mujtaba Khamenei’s absence fuels conspiracies in Iran

Millions of mourners accompanied former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli-American attack on February 28. But the one who has not been seen so far at any of the funeral ceremonies is the heir himself – Mujtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran.

According to an article published by the Qatari Al-Jazeera, the prominent public absence fuels a wave of uncertainty among the Iranian public regarding the fate of Khamenei Jr., especially in light of rumors about his health. Shortly after his appointment, sources close to the Supreme Leader told Reuters that he was seriously injured in the attack that killed his father and his wife.

Residents of Tehran who spoke to Al Jazeera are divided in their opinions. Some see the lack of precaution as an understandable precaution given the ongoing threat of assassination, while others argue that it is a worrying sign of the regime’s weakness. Soumiya, a 47-year-old Iranian citizen, said that “the country is not even able to keep its leader safe for a few minutes” to participate in such a major event – and hinted at the existence of an internal conspiracy.

On the other hand, experts who were interviewed for the article stated that traditionally, the supreme leader hardly ever appears in public, but acts mainly through institutional representatives, recorded speeches and written instructions. However, the Iranian-American analyst Nagar Mortazawi pointed out that the current situation is “definitely unusual”, and warned that “it cannot be hidden forever”.

Beyond the political-security arena, the Iranian economy also faces a significant challenge following the war, when the capital market, the exchange rate and foreign trade remain in the shadow of the ongoing governmental uncertainty – a fact that has not gone unnoticed by foreign investors who follow the stability of the regime in Tehran.