Question: Imam Khamenei has spoken about the confusion and perplexity of the heads of the Zionist regime. What is the truth behind this confusion? How severe is it? What are its effects and consequences?
Hasan Hejazi: Regarding the first question, there is no doubt that the Imam Khamenei’s remarks on this matter are not based on aspirations or slogans, but rather on reality, data analysis, and an understanding of the internal crises, divisions, and challenges facing the regime on a global scale.
Without a doubt, this regime is experiencing a fundamental crisis and dilemma that it has created for itself. This is the very crisis of identity, options, and challenges that are surrounding it from every direction. This crisis has recently manifested itself in a very severe form.
This regime is in fact embroiled in internal disputes concerning its future vision, identity, the nature of its systems and laws, the relationship between its officials, the role of fundamental institutions, the role of the legal authority, and so on. The discord revolves around these issues and the nature of governance: will this regime be a liberal democratic regime, as the secularists want it to be? Or will it be a system that takes into account Jewish law, that is, a system that caters specifically to Jews, and bases many of its regulations and requirements on Jewish law?
This issue highlights a deep division between the secular and religious movements, one that is reaching the brink of conflict. This conflict has brought the regime to the brink of internal collapse and is one of the most dangerous factors that could lead to the regime's destruction and its descent into disintegration, division, and internal conflict.
This issue is weakening the regime and undermining its position, with negative repercussions on the international stage.
Question: Yes, this issue has been raised again, despite the war and the beginning we witnessed in this war and the beginning of unity in the face of confronting the challenge, especially with the emergence of disagreements about how the war should be fought: Will the Israelis continue the war to the end or will they adopt specific solutions to end this conflict?
Hasan Hejazi: The right wing insists on fighting without a horizon, a clear time frame, or proper planning for the next phase of the war. This option puts it in a constant state of conflict with the Palestinian people and its surrounding areas.
This conflict could also serve as a precursor to the weakening of this regime at various levels. If Netanyahu and his associates fail to comprehend the truth, they will head towards a big quagmire and, as some generals have described it, they will head towards becoming a scorched ground. Continuing this war would prove to be a costly endeavor for the Israelis and will have a significant impact on their situation and existence, their internal cohesion, and their sustainability based on their economic, military, and other capabilities.
If we continue on this current upward trajectory that we are in, we may witness the beginning of the end of the [Zionist] regime and its downfall. The Leader’s predictions seem to indicate this as well. These predictions revolve around the following points: The regime, with its internal power struggles, is incapable of continuing and is nearing collapse; it is unable to face external challenges and it stubbornly and arrogantly claims to be fighting a battle and achieving absolute victory.
However, in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, we witnessed its complete helplessness before the Gaza Strip and additional supporting fronts from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and other fronts, which severely weakened the regime and exposed many of its weaknesses.
Furthermore, the large-scale operation carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 13th [2024], demonstrated the weakness and fragility of the [Zionist] regime and its inability to defend itself. It showed that the Islamic Republic is capable of inflicting a severe blow on this regime. And had it not been for the support provided by Arab and some regional countries to the [Zionist] regime, more missiles would have reached inside [the occupied] territories and cause significant damage.
At this point, the Zionists feel that their ability to balance power equations is very weak. This is because the challenges they face have intensified, and the dangers have grown larger with each passing day. They lack the tools and capabilities to confront them. Their heavy reliance on the US highlights the regime’s inability to sustain its efforts. This poses a significant risk that could be impacted by shifts in international dynamics, etc., and the path of this regime may be on the verge of inevitable collapse and destruction.
All of these issues have preoccupied the minds of the Israelis, leaving them uncertain and in a confused state on mind, lacking clarity about the future.
Question: The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, with reference to Western analyses, emphasized that the Zionist regime is on the brink of destruction and that the Zionist project is taking its last breaths. What does the current public perception of Israel reflect and are there tangible indicators in this regard?
Hasan Hejazi: Regarding the second question, there is no doubt that the reality that the Zionists are currently experiencing indicates a dangerous stage that this regime has never faced before in terms of internal division, internal competition, and external challenges.
Domestically, yes, there is a clear and deep sign of a vertical rift among the Israelis, between a secular movement that calls itself liberal-democratic and insists on adhering to the current form of this regime. This is a formula that allows the secular movement and the Ashkenazi class to control matters. This class largely belongs to this movement. This class or movement defends its interests and existence in public life, in the population range across various levels such as political, cultural, and social spheres. They fight to prevent the other party from dominating them, which is a religious movement within the right-wing movement and the oppressed class — the Mizrahi Jewish class or those who have commonalities with them.
This issue confirms that they are facing a major challenge domestically. We have witnessed a rift between those who support the war and those who want to stop it, and this is a factor that could exacerbate this dilemma domestically. There are those who hold Benjamin Netanyahu and his political cabinet responsible for the defeat and failure in this war, and they hold them accountable for the results of this war and the costs that Israelis are still paying without any results. Benjamin Netanyahu is moving towards the option of absolute decisiveness, dragging Israelis into a massacre on all fronts, and engaging them in a long and attritional war that will have no benefit or outcome.
This issue is clearly evident in the multitude of opinions and the lack of consensus on a particular stance. This is also reflected in the policies of the Zionist regime, their insistence on continuing the war, the killings, and the failure of all these policies on the ground.
Israel has shown the highest amount of inability in resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. Israel is facing multiple fronts that it cannot defeat, and instead, it is taking blows and trying to contain these fronts. This highlights that this regime has lost its strategic position, its deterrent capability, and its ability to resolve conflicts, indicating that this regime is heading towards decline, weakness, and the loss of many of the elements of survival and resilience.
Undoubtedly, the focus of the Leader’s statements was on the point that these issues are all indicators of the destruction of this regime, which for over seventy-five years has been able to be a powerful force with a high influence and high status in the region that no one could match or challenge. This regime is heading towards a truly humiliating situation in which it is unable to achieve anything on any front and is under attack from all sides. Not only is it unable to protect itself, but it also cannot assure its settlers that they will have a secure future.
All of this confirms that this regime is in a state of instability, decay, and decline at all levels. If Benjamin Netanyahu and his partners in the right-wing government continue to insist on fighting, we may see clear signs of the beginning of internal collapse and disintegration, as well as the loss of many of the capabilities on which the government relied on, especially if the US sees that this regime has started a war that will bear no fruit and is determined to continue this war due to certain considerations of its political and military leaders.
All of these factors confirm that this regime is in a very bad situation and will face increasing threats that could eventually reach the level of an existential threat, which is no longer a distant prospect.
The overall picture suggests an approach that this regime is facing unprecedented internal and external challenges. The overall picture confirms that we are facing a different stage in which the [Zionist] regime is unable to protect itself and deter its enemies, and is in fact the target of all Resistance forces throughout the region. By continuing and persisting on this path — which seems to be taking place at the moment based on our readings of the positions of Netanyahu and his allies in the right-wing — this regime will head towards a major battle, a battle that will exhaust its energies, come at a high cost, and, God willing, lead to its downfall and decline.
(The views expressed in this interview are interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Khamenei.ir.)
