WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The clashes between Israel and Iran have been going on for the fifth day. Powerful detonations echoed in the northern, western and central parts of the Iranian capital. The cause of the explosions is not yet known, and it is not clear whether it was an Israeli attack or the action of Iranian air defenses.
We are reporting on the development of events related to the conflict between Israel and Iran chronologically. You can see an overview of the events that marked today below, as well as at the link below.
The Israeli army announced that it had identified a new wave of Iranian missiles
The Israel Defense Forces announced that they had spotted a new wave of missiles fired from Iran.
Sirens are sounding in various parts of the country, primarily in the north and in Haifa.
Citizens have again been ordered to take shelter.
Israel kills key Iranian official in powerful strike
The Israel Defense Forces have carried out a strike inside Iran, killing one of the country's top security officials, an IDF spokesman said.
At a press conference today, spokesman Efi Defrin said: "Israel has killed Iran's Chief of Staff, Ali Shadmani, who took over after Israel killed his predecessor last week."
Defrin added: "We carried out a deep strike, hitting Iran's nuclear, ballistic and command capabilities."
Erdogan: Netanyahu is the biggest security threat in the Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses the "biggest threat" to security in the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, according to a post by the Turkish Presidency on the social network X.
"Netanyahu has once again shown that he is the biggest security threat in the region," Erdogan said in a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The Presidency added that Erdogan stressed during the conversation that he is conducting intensive diplomatic contacts regarding the conflicts caused by the Israeli attacks on Iran, and that he will continue to make efforts to end the wave of violence.
"Emphasizing that the Israeli attacks must not be used as an excuse to divert attention from the humanitarian crisis and genocide in Gaza, President Erdogan also warned of the danger of the conflicts spreading to Syria," the post continued.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Erdogan has been among the most vocal and fierce critics of Israel – often calling it a terrorist state and comparing Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Who makes up the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is at the center of the war between Iran and Israel, leading the Iranian religious leadership’s response to the Israeli military offensive, despite losing a number of senior commanders in Israeli strikes since Friday.
THE GUARDIANS OF THE REVOLUTION
The Revolutionary Guard Corps was established after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 as an elite military formation loyal to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Its primary mission is to protect the Shiite religious order in Iran.
Although separate from the regular Iranian army, the IRGC is an integral part of the state and has its own land, naval and air forces, as well as an intelligence service.
It reports to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the Guard itself, it has about 150,000 members, divided into various branches. It also controls the Basij paramilitary organization, composed of volunteers loyal to the regime, which are used to suppress protests and enforce religious norms in peacetime.
During the war with Iraq in the 1980s, Basij members were sent in massive attacks against Iraqi positions. Today, they are engaged in enforcing the Islamic social rules of Shiite Iran. Some analysts estimate that the organization has millions of sympathizers and more than a million active members.
Former Revolutionary Guard officers have often taken on key positions in government, including state institutions and parliament. The Guard's mandate to protect the achievements of the revolution has allowed it to speak out publicly when it believes the system is under threat.
EXPORTING IRANIAN INFLUENCE
A special branch of the Guard, known as the Quds Force, is responsible for operations outside Iran's borders. The Quds Force has built a network of allies among Arab groups that make up the so-called The Axis of Resistance – founded by Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 and supporting Hamas in Gaza.
The Guard has also provided military support to Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war, while also bolstering Shiite militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. It has also helped fight the Islamic State after the extremist Sunni group seized large parts of Iraq a decade ago.
But that network of allies has suffered serious blows in recent years – Israeli offensives following Hamas’s attack on October 7 have hit both Hamas and Hezbollah hard. The removal of Assad from power in December was a further blow for Iran.
DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
The United States designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019 , as part of the “maximum pressure” policy pursued by the Donald Trump administration.
The US State Department has accused the Guard of participating in planning terrorist acts, including the murders of American citizens. Iran, according to the US, is responsible for the deaths of at least 603 US soldiers in Iraq since 2003.
The IRGC has also been linked to supporting groups designated by the US as terrorist – Hezbollah, Hamas and Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.
TOP COMMANDERS KILLED
During the current conflict, Israel has inflicted heavy losses on the top of the Revolutionary Guard. Among those killed are the Guard commander, Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Guard’s Air Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and Major General Gholamali Rashid.
One of the largest previous strikes occurred in 2020, when the US killed General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, in a drone strike in Iraq. Soleimani played a key role in expanding Iranian influence through the Axis of Resistance.
OVERSIGHT OF THE MISSILE PROGRAM
The Revolutionary Guard Corps oversees Iran’s ballistic missile program, considered the largest in the region. In the current conflict with Israel, as well as during tensions last year, the IRGC has fired salvos of missiles at Israeli targets.
The Guard has also used missiles in recent years to attack Sunni extremists in Syria and Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq.
The United States, European powers and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for a 2019 missile and drone attack that disabled the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, although Tehran has denied responsibility.
Trump cited the missile program as one of the reasons the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, arguing that the 2015 agreement did not cover the issue.
The IRGC has significant conventional military capabilities, which it demonstrated in the wars in Syria and Iraq.
ECONOMIC INTERESTS
After the war with Iraq, the Guards became involved in Iran's post-war reconstruction and over time built a powerful economic empire. Today, it controls a huge number of companies, the value of which is measured in billions of dollars - from construction and telecommunications to oil and gas projects.
Washington forms a task force to assist US citizens in the Middle East
"The State Department has formed a task force for the Middle East to coordinate support for American citizens, diplomatic missions and personnel of the United States," spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday.
She recalled that Washington advises Americans not to travel to Iraq and Iran, "regardless of the circumstances."
