The hybrid war unleashed in the Middle East is getting worse

The hybrid war unleashed in the Middle East as a result of the ongoing confrontation in the Gaza Strip, for which there is no way out in the short term, is worsening by the minute throughout the region. Iran, in its traditional confrontation with Israel and the United States, is at the centre of tensions as a result of its support for the terrorist organisations involved, sometimes as aggressors and sometimes as victims, in the conflict as a whole. 

Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and on the border with Israel, and the Houthis in attacks on shipping in the Red Sea receive most of their weapons from Iran. Hamas routinely fires rockets at Israeli cities, and the Houthis, the militia that controls part of Yemen, use drones to force merchant ships to deviate from their usual route, with serious consequences for both supplies and consumers. 

The assassination of Hamas's number two, Saleh Al-Arouri, at his home in Lebanon - where he was being protected by Hezbollah - by a bomb dropped from a suspected Israeli drone added to the already existing tension and was compounded in recent hours by another attack on Wednesday on a cemetery next to the Saheb Al-Zamuh mosque in southern Iran, near the tomb of General Qasem Soleimani during an event at which he was being honoured. 

Two explosions of bombs concealed in bags and set off within ten minutes of each other caused more than 100 deaths, according to provisional figures, and wounded some 140 people. General Soleimani had been considered a national hero since his involvement in the war with Iraq and later became head of the National Guard of the Republic, the regime's main security and repressive force in the country. He was assassinated in January 2020, at the age of 62, and the tribute commemorated the fourth anniversary of his death in Karman province, where he was born.     

The first images of the massacre and the panic-stricken massacre of the tens of hundreds of people in attendance, shown on television, created a real national shock. The President of the Republic, Ebrahim Raisi, warned that the perpetrators of the attack would be "identified and hanged". Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest religious authority and in practice also the head of the state, recalled the merits of Soleimani, a historical figure who will always be remembered. 

The first demonstrations calling for revenge have spontaneously erupted in Tehran, the capital, and in numerous cities across the country. He was one of the most prestigious and popular authorities. He was also known as the greatest enemy of the United States.  Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to send a message of condolences and solidarity to both the ayatollah and the president.