Tehran - Saba:
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, confirmed that 80 Israeli drones were shot down during the recent aggression, and that the wreckage of 32 of them is now in Iran's possession, including highly advanced Hermes and Hermon drones.
In a special interview with Iranian television on Tuesday evening, carried by IRNA, Rezaei spoke about the dimensions of the recent 12-day war and the allegations made by American and Zionist media outlets. He said, "Before we evaluate the 12-day war, I must say that the propaganda they launched was the result of popular pressure, whether in the occupied territories, in American society, or internationally. Israel and America were defeated. The pressure reached the point where Trump attacked some international media outlets like CNN, saying, 'You are lying, we won.'"
Rezaei continued, "This propaganda has several goals: First, to raise doubt in public opinion and fabricate stories to cast doubt on Iran's victory. Second, it seems that when Trump said the nuclear issue was over, his goal was to deceive Iran, just as they did in the negotiations."
He added, "Now we have to see whether they really won or not. From multiple perspectives, we can examine Israel's achievements and their costs." According to an Israeli Finance Ministry report, the war cost approximately $20 billion in these 12 days. Two years' worth of expensive American THAAD missiles were consumed in these 12 days. In other words, they launched two years' worth of production in the sky in 12 days.
Referring to Iran's military achievements, Rezaei said, "We shot down about 80 drones, 32 of which are now in our hands. We have the wreckage of these drones, including the highly advanced Hermes and Hermon drones. Our radars have recorded 80 hits. The human losses and the destruction of Israel's security and economic centers are extremely high. It remains to be seen what they have achieved in return for these enormous costs."
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards during the Sacred Defense period explained the true objectives of the Zionist regime and the United States in the recent attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasizing that the enemy had prepared a seven-stage plan to undermine the country's existence. He said, "Israel, in coordination with the United States, has devised a very dangerous plan, which it has been working on for more than a year and has even implemented in places like Greece and the Mediterranean." This was a seven-stage plan, the ultimate goal of which was complete control of West Asia, all the way to the borders of China.
Rezaei continued: "The first stage of this plan was to target the leadership, the Supreme National Security Council, and senior Revolutionary Guard commanders. The second stage was to create chaos and consolidate the regime's impotence after its decapitation. The third stage was to bring in counterrevolutionaries from border regions such as Kurdistan, as well as to infiltrate the Monafeghin Organization into Tehran."
"The fourth goal was to divide Iran into several regions, and the fifth was to bomb Iranian military and economic infrastructure, similar to what happened in Syria.
"In the sixth stage, the agenda was to disarm the divided regions and transform them into police zones equipped with light weapons. Finally, the seventh stage was to control the region's skies and facilitate transit from the Mediterranean to China."
Rezaei added, "They themselves clearly defined some of these goals. For example, they said, 'We want to overthrow the Islamic Republic,' when in fact the target was not just the regime, but all of Iran."
Regarding the extent of the enemy's success in this plan, he said, "They did not succeed in achieving the first goal, which was to strike the regime. The Supreme National Security Council was also bombed in six locations, but none of its members suffered the slightest harm because the meetings were held in a well-organized manner. A number of our dear commanders were also martyred. Overall, it can be said that only about 10% of their first goal was achieved."
He continued, "In the second stage, no chaos was created in the country." In the third phase, movements were observed in the border areas of Kurdistan, and counterrevolutionary elements were also prepared in Tehran, but they did not enter in any way. Now there is a dispute between these groups and Israel, because Israel claims to have fulfilled its duty, while the counterrevolutionary elements did nothing. They even refer to this operation as a three-contractor project: the first contractor is Israel, and the subsequent contractors are the counterrevolutionary groups that did not enter.
Rezaei added, "The disintegration of Iran did not occur, the targeted areas were not demilitarized, and Iranian airspace was not seized. What they portray as the establishment of a corridor is simply a baseless claim. Overall, it can be said that this grand plan has achieved only about a 30% success rate, and that is at the sub-levels, not the overall level."
Referring to the regional implications of Iran's victory, the former IRGC commander said, "Many neighboring countries have realized that Iran is trustworthy and have concluded that cooperation with it is necessary." Therefore, if we put Iran's victories and Israel's defeats on the same scale, we find that Israel suffered 80 percent of the social and political failures and 65 percent of the military failures, while Iran emerged from this battle with great achievements."
He also pointed to the damage Iran suffered in this war, saying, "Of course, we also suffered losses, there is no doubt about that. A number of our best commanders were martyred, and martyrdom was, of course, their dream. Some of our nuclear facilities were also damaged, but this damage is reparable and not at all impossible."
He continued, "Part of our missile capabilities were targeted, but we fired missiles with vigor until the very last moment, and in recent days, the intensity of our launches has been greater than before. This demonstrates Iran's strength and will."
Major General Rezaei emphasized the need to continue the Islamic Republic of Iran's path to victory, saying, "We have achieved our first victory, but we must complete this victory." Our victory will be complete when they retreat after this 12-day war."
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