Artist: Ahmad Barakizadeh
By Kayhan Life Staff
The Islamic Republic in Iran (IRI) is clinging to power through increasing repression and precipitating the Middle East towards an all-out war.
International human rights organizations have condemned the alarming surge in executions in Iran, which they see as a means for the clerical leadership to keep disaffected Iranians at bay. According to data from Iran Human Rights, at least 639 people were executed in the first ten months of 2024. Amnesty International reported that the number of executions in 2023 was the highest recorded since 2015, representing a 48 percent increase from 2022 and a staggering 172 percent increase from 2021.
This comes at a time when the Middle East is on the brink of an all-out war. The current phase of the conflict between Israel and the IRI was ignited on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and several other terrorist organizations coordinated armed incursions into Israeli territory. This marked the first breach of Israeli soil since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The Israeli Defense Forces reported that around 5,000 rockets were fired at Israel on that day. The attackers killed over 1,200 Israeli and non-Israeli citizens and took approximately 250 hostages.
Since then, Hamas and Hezbollah, members of the IRI’s “axis of resistance” against the United States and Israel, have launched more than 26,000 rockets, missiles, and drones at Israel from multiple fronts, according to data released by the Israeli Defense Forces.
On April 13, the situation escalated dramatically, with the IRI executing its first direct attack on Israeli territory, unleashing over 330 drones and missiles in retaliation for an earlier strike on its consulate in Syria. This was followed by another significant escalation on Oct. 1, when more than 180 missiles were launched in response to the targeted killings of key Hezbollah and Hamas leaders by Israel. Their deaths were seen as a significant blow to the so-called ‘axis of resistance.’
The Israeli military further reported that on Oct. 19, three drones were launched from Lebanon towards Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea, with one successfully striking its target.
On Oct. 26, Israel launched airstrikes against military targets inside Iran, Iraq, and Syria. They included missile production facilities as well as Iranian air defense capabilities, described as one of the most complex air assaults ever conducted by Israel.
