“We will conquer the World today!” the coach told his players. Yet, he meant just, "Please, make an extraordinary effort to win New Timbuktu’s Monthly Chess Championship." Sometimes declarations are just declarative, trying to convey a general message instead of its details. The West likes to forget that. On February 17, 2013, an extraordinary example was provided by Israeli media, which went hysterical over a declaration made by Sheikh Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the day before, on the fifth anniversary of Imad Mughniyah's assassination by Israel. The Sheikh said, "If Israel attacks, we will leave it in total darkness. We know a power station in central Israel that if attacked will leave the entire country in darkness." This may impress anyone who hasn’t lived in Israel; all others will understand the declaration as a general message. Simply, Sheikh Nasrallah was referring to the Hadera Power Station, which after Prime Minister Rabin's assassination was renamed Orot Rabin (Rabin’s Lights). Halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa, the complex has three large chimneys that can be clearly seen from Netanyahu's Palace in Caesarea. The chimneys are the second tallest structure in the country after Dimona's Radar Facility, and their purpose—providing an exhaust for the burnt coal—is obvious. Moreover, the monstrous structure provides just over 20% of Israel's electric power; if destroyed it would be a significant blow, but not a coup de grâce; Netanyahu always walks around with a pocket light in case of such events.

Orot Rabin Chimneys Power Stations

General Hassan Shateri Protection of Industrial Power Systems

Unusual Statement Yet, the Sheikh's statement was unusual. In the past (see Hezbollah Announces Next Targets), he announced possible targets in general terms but never gave actual coordinates of one, as in this case. "Yesh Dvarim BeGo," is Hebrew for "There are things (words) in the backside," meaning there is something hidden. Nasrallah claimed that Israel is conducting a fear-campaign, threatening to attack Lebanon in answer to the Burgas bombing (Israel keeps blaming Hezbollah despite being unable to prove it), fully justifying thus his declarations of self-defense. "All the exercises made since 2006 led to the conclusion that Israel fears an escalation in Lebanon. Lebanon is not anymore a suitable place for Israeli 'treks.'" This and related statements didn't help to clarify the reason for his unusual statement. Near the end of his speech, he provided a hint. "Iran will soon avenge the assassination of a Revolutionary Guard's senior officer."

Orot Rabin Power Station — Hadera Related to this: Hezbollah Announces Next Targets Did you know? Israel Supports Subaru

Now it makes sense!

I found out about the assassination of General Hassan Shateri in a "breaking news" article that appeared in Israeli newspaper Haaretz on February 13. Following Israeli codes, it cited several foreign sources, mainly an Iranian news agency and an Arabic newspaper published in London. This allows it to avoid breaking censorship laws. Yet, at first, it was difficult to believe the details provided by Israel. They went way beyond the details provided by any of the foreign agencies. The Israeli report was so detailed—including maps of the assassination site near Damascus while other sources couldn't even decide if the event took place in Lebanon or Syria—that it left no room for doubt who was behind the event. Moreover, when foreign sources couldn't even name the role of the Iranian general, Israel was describing his actions in exceptional detail. They described a highly disciplined, non-corrupt general, member of the elite "Kuds Force" ("Holy Force"), who was highly successful in the civil reconstruction of South Lebanon, an area which had been practically destroyed in the Israeli attack of 2006. Before that, he had served in Afghanistan and Iraq. As commander of the Iranian Committee for the Reconstruction of Lebanon, he ran a yearly budget of $200 million, which was used for reconstruction of homes and civil and military infrastructures. In that function, he moved in Lebanon and Syria using a pseudonym "Hussam Hush Nevis" (Roman spelling may vary); at the moment of his assassination, he was in Syria to study reconstruction plans for the northern city of Aleppo. His pseudonym was introduced by the USA in its list of sanctioned Iranians, a testimony of his importance and effectiveness (also of his successful pseudonym, his real name was clean). Israeli articles mentioned the number of the reconstructed houses and went just short of providing the addresses.

In his reaction, Sheikh Nassrallah used a Biblical principle, which appears several times in the Pentateuch⁺. "And those who remain shall listen and fear, and they shall no longer continue to commit any such evil thing among you. You shall not have pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." Israel hit a reconstruction engineer; Nasrallah threatened the Lights of Rabin Power Station. The Israel that prides itself in its Biblical origin may soon taste a punishment of Biblical dimensions.

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⁺Leviticus 24:20, Exodus 21:23–25, Deuteronomy 19:21

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