Global leaders, hold Iran accountable for deadly attack on Argentina’s Jewish community | Opinion Ted Deutch and Amos Linetsky/Miami Herald/September 28, 2023
في أول اعتراف إيراني على الإطلاق بدور إيران في تفجيرات لبنان في الثمانينيات، قال عيسى الطباطبائي، ممثل المرشد الأعلى الإيراني خامنئي في لبنان: “تلقيت من الإمام الخميني الفتوى [أمر] بتنفيذ عمليات استشهادية ضد الأمريكيين”؛ ‘لقد قدمت ما يلزم من أجل [تنفيذ] العمليات الاستشهادية في المكان الذي يتواجد فيه الأمريكيون والإسرائيليون’ ميمري/28 ايلول 2023 (ترجمة موقع غوغل) إيران | رسالة خاصة رقم 10817
In First-Ever Iranian Acknowledgment Of Iran’s Role In 1980s Lebanon Bombings, Issa Tabatabai, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei’s Representative In Lebanon, States: ‘I Received From Imam Khomeini The Fatwa [Ordering] Martyrdom Operations Against The Americans’; ‘I Provided What Was Needed In Order To [Carry Out] Martyrdom Operations In The Place Where The Americans And Israelis Were’ MEMRI/September 28, 2023 Iran | Special Dispatch No. 10817 The Iranian news agency IRNA recently published a five-part interview with Issa Tabatabai, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Lebanon. Tabatai had previously served as the representative in Lebanon of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic. In Part Four of the interview, which was published September 13, 2023, Tabatabai described his contribution to the establishment of Hizbullah as a military organization, and recounts that at his home, which at the time served as military headquarters, dozens of men had signed a declaration of their willingness to carry out martyrdom operations. He also discussed his role in the Iranian resistance and in launching suicide operations against American forces and representatives and Israeli forces in Lebanon. After acknowledging that he had received, directly from Khomeini, the fatwa ordering suicide operations to be carried out against the Americans and Israelis in Lebanon, he went on to talk about Hizbullah’s military activity against Israel in Lebanon and its cooperation with the Palestinian organizations. He spoke of his personal efforts to set up a hospital there, on the orders of Khomeini, who had also called for building a Hussainiya (Shi’ite religious study and community center), Islamic centers, and mosques to spread Iran’s resistance ideology. Tabatai also told of the utter confidence placed in him by both Khomeini and his successor Khamenei, and underlined that he is Khamenei’s trusted representative in Lebanon in all things having to do with finance and the spread of the Shi’a. It is noteworthy that the part of the interview in which Tabatabai acknowledged receiving Khomeini’s fatwa ordering attacks on American and Israeli targets in Lebanon was removed by IRNA from its website shortly after publication. This is apparently because no official representative of Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Republic, or of Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, had ever said that Iran had any involvement in ordering, planning and carrying out the massive bombings in Lebanon against, inter alia, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 in which 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed, and the barracks of American and French members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon in October 1983, in which 242 U.S. Marines and 589 French troops were killed. Iran has always vehemently denied any role in the bombings. It submitted no defense in response to the 2001 U.S. lawsuits filed against it by families of the hundreds of Americans killed or wounded in the barracks bombings. In 2007, the court found Iran legally responsible for providing Hizbullah with financial and logistical support that helped it carry out the bombings, and ordered it to pay over $2.5 billion in damages. The passage that was removed from the IRNA website. The following is a translation of the part of Tabatai’s interview that was removed by IRNA from its website shortly after it was published, under the headline “I Received From Imam Khomeini The Fatwa [Ordering] Martyrdom Operations Against The Americans”:[1] From Ayatollah Khomeini, “I Received Instructions To Fight Against Israel And Even The Fatwa [Ordering] To Carry Out Martyrdom Operations, And He Confirmed This Three Times…” “…With the victory of the Islamic Revolution [in Iran], Hizbullah was established [in the summer of 1982]. For two years, [Hizbullah’s] military base was located in my home. ‘The group’ [supporters of the Islamic Revolution] signed a contract declaring their willingness to become martyrs. Perhaps more than 70 [of them] signed this contract in my home. This ‘group’ was given facilities, and then the [1982] war with Israel broke out in South [Lebanon]… When Israel occupied South Lebanon, we had to launch a movement, and the military movement started in my home. [At the time] we were not thinking of establishing Hizbullah – we were just adhering to the [Iranian] ‘resistance.’ “We received many facilities from the Palestinians. The military courses we had with the Palestinians prompted us to launch the struggle, and from the Imam [Khomeini], I received approval for the struggle against Israel and even the fatwa [ordering] to carry out martyrdom operations [ishtihad in the original], and he confirmed this three times… “I Quickly Went To Lebanon And Provided What Was Needed In Order To [Carry Out] Martyrdom Operations In The Place Where The Americans And Israelis Were” “I quickly went to Lebanon and provided what was needed in order to [carry out] martyrdom operations in the place where the Americans and Israelis were. “The efforts to establish [Hizbullah] started in [Lebanon’s] Baalbek area, where members of [Iran’s] Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps [IRGC] arrived. I had no part in establishing the [political] party [Hizbullah], but God made it possible for me to continue the military activity with the group that had cooperated with us prior to the [Islamic] Revolution’s victory…”[2] https://www.memri.org/reports/first-ever-iranian-acknowledgment-irans-role-1980s-lebanon-bombings-issa-tabatabai-iranian
في أول اعتراف إيراني على الإطلاق بدور إيران في تفجيرات لبنان في الثمانينيات، قال عيسى الطباطبائي، ممثل المرشد الأعلى الإيراني خامنئي في لبنان: “تلقيت من الإمام الخميني الفتوى [أمر] بتنفيذ عمليات استشهادية ضد الأمريكيين”؛ ‘لقد قدمت ما يلزم من أجل [تنفيذ] العمليات الاستشهادية في المكان الذي يتواجد فيه الأمريكيون والإسرائيليون’ ميمري/28 ايلول 2023 (ترجمة موقع غوغل) إيران | رسالة خاصة رقم 10817 نشرت وكالة الأنباء الإيرانية “إيرنا” مؤخراً مقابلة من خمسة أجزاء مع عيسى الطباطبائي، ممثل المرشد الأعلى الإيراني علي خامنئي في لبنان. وكان طباطبائي قد عمل في السابق ممثلاً لآية الله روح الله الخميني، مؤسس الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية، في لبنان. في الجزء الرابع من المقابلة، التي نُشرت في 13 أيلول/سبتمبر 2023، وصف الطباطبائي مساهمته في تأسيس حزب الله كمنظمة عسكرية، وروى أنه في منزله، الذي كان في ذلك الوقت مقرًا عسكريًا، وقع عشرات الرجال على إعلان استعدادهم لتنفيذ عمليات استشهادية. كما تطرق إلى دوره في المقاومة الإيرانية وفي شن عمليات انتحارية ضد القوات الأميركية وممثليها والقوات الإسرائيلية في لبنان. وبعد أن أقر بأنه تلقى، مباشرة من الخميني، فتوى تأمر بتنفيذ عمليات انتحارية ضد الأميركيين والإسرائيليين في لبنان، انتقل للحديث عن نشاط حزب الله العسكري ضد إسرائيل في لبنان وتعاونه مع المنظمات الفلسطينية. وتحدث عن جهوده الشخصية لإنشاء مستشفى هناك، بناءً على أوامر الخميني، الذي دعا أيضًا إلى بناء حسينية (مركز دراسة دينية شيعية ومركز مجتمعي)، ومراكز إسلامية، ومساجد لنشر أيديولوجية المقاومة الإيرانية. كما تحدث طباطبائي عن الثقة المطلقة التي وضعها به الخميني وخليفته خامنئي، وأكد أنه ممثل خامنئي الموثوق به في لبنان في كل ما يتعلق بالتمويل وانتشار الشيعة. من الجدير بالذكر أن الجزء من المقابلة الذي اعترف فيه الطباطبائي بتلقي فتوى الخميني التي تأمر بشن هجمات على أهداف أمريكية وإسرائيلية في لبنان، أزالته وكالة أنباء الجمهورية الإسلامية من موقعها على الإنترنت بعد وقت قصير من نشرها. ويبدو أن السبب في ذلك هو أنه لم يقل أي ممثل رسمي للخميني، أبو الجمهورية الإسلامية، أو خامنئي، المرشد الأعلى لإيران، إن إيران كان لها أي دور في إصدار الأوامر والتخطيط وتنفيذ التفجيرات الضخمة في لبنان ضد، من بين أمور أخرى، السفارة الأميركية في بيروت في نيسان/أبريل 1983 التي قُتل فيها 63 شخصاً، بينهم 17 أميركياً، وثكنات الأعضاء الأميركيين والفرنسيين في القوة المتعددة الجنسيات في لبنان في تشرين الأول/أكتوبر 1983، التي قُتل فيها 242 من مشاة البحرية الأميركية و589 جندياً فرنسياً. ولطالما نفت إيران بشدة أي دور لها في التفجيرات. ولم تقدم أي دفاع ردًا على الدعاوى القضائية الأمريكية التي رفعتها ضدها عام 2001 عائلات مئات الأمريكيين الذين قتلوا أو جرحوا في تفجيرات الثكنات. وفي عام 2007، وجدت المحكمة أن إيران مسؤولة قانونًا عن تزويد حزب الله بالدعم المالي واللوجستي الذي ساعده على تنفيذ التفجيرات، وأمرت بدفع أكثر من 2.5 مليار دولار كتعويضات. المقطع الذي تم حذفه من موقع ايرنا. وفيما يلي ترجمة لجزء من مقابلة الطباطبائي التي حذفتها وكالة أنباء الجمهورية الإسلامية (إيرنا) من موقعها الإلكتروني بعد وقت قصير من نشرها، تحت عنوان “تلقيت من الإمام الخميني الفتوى [الأمر] بالقيام بعمليات استشهادية ضد الأمريكان”:[1] من آية الله الخميني: «تلقيت تعليمات بقتال إسرائيل وحتى الفتوى بتنفيذ عمليات استشهادية، وأكد ذلك ثلاث مرات…» …مع انتصار الثورة الإسلامية [في إيران]، تأسس حزب الله [في صيف عام 1982]. لمدة عامين، كانت القاعدة العسكرية [لحزب الله] موجودة في منزلي. “الجماعة” [أنصار الحزب] “الثورة الإسلامية] وقعوا عقدًا يعلنون فيه استعدادهم للاستشهاد. وربما وقع أكثر من 70 [منهم] هذا العقد في منزلي. وقد مُنحت هذه “الجماعة” تسهيلات، ثم اندلعت الحرب [1982] مع إسرائيل في الجنوب [ “لبنان]… عندما احتلت إسرائيل جنوب لبنان، كان علينا أن نطلق حركة، وبدأت الحركة العسكرية في منزلي. [في ذلك الوقت] لم نكن نفكر في تأسيس حزب الله – كنا فقط متمسكين [بالإيراني]”. مقاومة.’ “لقد حصلنا على العديد من التسهيلات من الفلسطينيين. والدورات العسكرية التي أجريناها مع الفلسطينيين دفعتنا إلى إطلاق الكفاح، ومن الإمام [الخميني] حصلت على الموافقة على الكفاح ضد إسرائيل وحتى الفتوى بتنفيذها”. العمليات الاستشهادية [الاجتهاد في الأصل] وأكد ذلك ثلاث مرات… “توجهت بسرعة إلى لبنان وقدمت ما يلزم من أجل [تنفيذ] العمليات الاستشهادية في المكان الذي يتواجد فيه الأمريكيون والإسرائيليون” “توجهت بسرعة إلى لبنان وقدمت ما يلزم لتنفيذ عمليات استشهادية في المكان الذي يتواجد فيه الأمريكيون والإسرائيليون. “بدأت جهود تأسيس [حزب الله] في منطقة بعلبك [اللبنانية]، حيث وصل أعضاء من الحرس الثوري [الإيراني] [IRGC]. لم يكن لي أي دور في تأسيس الحزب [السياسي] [حزب الله]، لكن الله جعله من الممكن أن أواصل النشاط العسكري مع المجموعة التي تعاونت معنا قبل انتصار الثورة [الإسلامية]…”[2]
Global leaders, hold Iran accountable for deadly attack on Argentina’s Jewish community | Opinion Ted Deutch and Amos Linetsky/Miami Herald/September 28, 2023 This month, leaders from across the world gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, coming together to strengthen diplomatic ties, address common goals, differences and, ultimately, work toward shared values. And yet, they also gave the stage to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi without any plan for holding him, his country and its terror proxy — Hezbollah — accountable for their decades of global terrorism. We offered that stage to the Iranian leader just weeks before the U.N. Security Council ban on Iran’s ballistic missiles is set to expire in the face of neglect and inaction by the United Nations and the world. Just a few days ahead of the Jewish New Year, Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea shared that the agency and its international partners have thwarted 27 planned Iranian attacks on Jews and Israelis abroad this year alone. According to the U.S. State Department, the Iranian regime has sanctioned and carried out assassinations, terror plots and attacks in 40 countries since coming to power in 1979. This includes the July 18, 1994, bombing of the Argentine Mutual Israel Association (AMIA), which killed 85 people and injured 300 others when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck into the six-story building at 633 Pasteur St. in Buenos Aires. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel since the Holocaust. Three decades later, amid a worldwide surge in antisemitism, those responsible for this wanton act of terror continue to walk free. The official Argentine investigation, led by the late prosecutor Alberto Nisman, concluded in 2007 that Iran masterminded the attack, which was carried out by Hezbollah. Interpol issued “red notices” for five suspects, putting the responsibility on member states to arrest the suspected terrorists in their countries when they can. Yet, some of those named by Interpol have been allowed to serve as Iranian ministers and freely travel the globe without any consequence. In June, as part of proceedings to address the local connection to the 1994 attack, Argentine Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas issued an international arrest warrant for four Lebanese citizens currently in Paraguay under suspicion of having “cooperated and/or facilitated” the organizers in the months before the bombing. And yet, the only people who have been brought to justice are the individual who provided the van used in the attack and some low-level security officials who conspired to cover it up. How can we, as a global community, claim to stand against terror and for justice if we allow this inaction? Justice delayed is justice denied. The attack against AMIA struck not only a building, but the heart and soul of Argentina and its Jewish community — the sixth largest in the world and the largest in Latin America. This was a blatant attack on our shared values of peace, inclusion and coexistence. In defending these values, we must come together as a global community to bring these murderers and their benefactors to justice. The United States, since 1997, has recognized Hezbollah as a terror organization. Four years ago, Argentina rightly and courageously conferred this designation as well. The designation was reinforced in 2020, and investigations into Hezbollah’s operations in the Tri-Border Area, shared by Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, are ongoing. American Jewish Committee met with more than 60 top international officials attending the U.N. General Assembly to discuss issues of mutual concern, the Jewish community and Israel as part of our annual Diplomatic Marathon. As we discussed the importance of recognizing the dangers of antisemitism and all forms of hate, violence and bigotry, we also demanded a commitment to the pursuit of justice. We must work together to ensure the voices of the AMIA victims and their families are heard and that their memories are not forgotten. As the global advocacy organization of the Jewish people, American Jewish Committee was on the ground just two days after the bombing in 1994, standing with the Jewish community then as we do today. We are united in our unrelenting fight for justice. We continue to demand that the global community stop ignoring Interpol’s red notices and arrest those responsible for cruelly cutting short 85 lives and to do what’s necessary to prevent future attacks. But we cannot do this alone. Global leaders must go beyond pledging to stand defiant in the face of hatred and darkness. We must demand real accountability for those who would do us harm and who support and harbor terrorists. We cannot brush aside Iran’s decades old history of terrorism that continues to this day. We must not continue to allow the regime and its Hezbollah proxies to pursue their campaign of violence and terror without consequence. Meetings of the U.N. General Assembly should be neither cocktail parties nor theoretical intellectual debates. The international community needs to act. Extend the ban on ballistic missiles as Iran aids Russia in its illegal war. Stand with protesters fighting for human rights. Prevent Iranian nukes. And arrest the suspects in the AMIA bombing. **Ted Deutch is CEO of American Jewish Committee. Amos Linetsky is president of AMIA.
