Israeli troops invading South Lebanon planted their flag over a hilltop "Iran Garden" sponsored by the Islamic Republic which once hosted likenesses of top Iranian luminaries and a model of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock.
The apparent takeover of the heights in Maroun al-Ras village, relayed in video and pictures on social media on Tuesday, represents a symbolic setback for Iran as the Hezbollah group it backs has taken heavy blows in recent weeks.
The images show demolished structures on the terraced hillside including the ruins of the mock-up Islamic holy place which had previously been emblazoned with the "God is Great" Arabic insignia on Iran's flag.
The site also hosted children's play areas and family friendly observation decks and picnic spots. It was inaugurated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a visit to the area in 2010.
Billboards of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had decorated the site along with a larger than life cut-out figure of slain senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani with a finger pointing toward Israel.
None appeared to be intact based on the social media imagery.
Israel has repeatedly killed top Hezbollah leaders in air strikes after maiming and killing hundreds of its rank and file members in explosions targeting their pagers and walkie talkies.
Over 1,000 Lebanese have been killed since Israel stepped up its attacks last month - a death toll that is already higher than that of a 34-day war the foes last fought in 2006.
President Massoud Pezeshkian, elected on a "reformist" platform, recently held a meeting with his chief political adversaries, the ultraconservative Paydari Party, in what appeared to be an invitation to form an undeclared coalition with the very opponents of his "national reconciliation" agenda. This unexpected move has fueled speculation about potential realignments within Iran’s political landscape and raised questions about the future of Pezeshkian’s reform oriented political promises.
This coalition is not welcomed by Pezeshkian's "reformist" allies, who played a key role in securing his victory in one of the most tepid and contentious elections in the country's modern history. Meanwhile, ultraconservatives did everything in their power to block his path, backing his main rival, Saeed Jalili, as their preferred candidate for the presidency of the Islamic Republic.
While Jalili and other hardliners continue their fierce rivalry with Pezeshkian, the President seems to have attempted to win the hearts and minds of the party's rank and file.
The government-owned Iranian Students New Agency (ISNA) reported on Monday that Pezeshkian has held a meeting "with a group of the Paydari Front's members and representatives" during which he listened to their views on various issues and explained his national reconciliation doctrine as well as the reasons behind the country's political, economic and cultural problems, according to ISNA. This is typical Iranian official reporting which is always devoid of details and elaboration.
However, Pezeshkian emphasized to his Paydari Party guests that his vision of national reconciliation "is not a choice, but an essential requirement for addressing the country’s challenges and safeguarding it against foreign threats."
Until recently, Majles Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was regarded as Pezeshkian's strongest ally in Parliament. However, growing opposition among lawmakers to the appointment of two parliament members as governors of Kordestan and Fars Provinces may have pushed Pezeshkian closer to Ghalibaf's rival, the ultraconservative Paydari Party.
The opposition, however, seems to center primarily on the fact that the two governors were appointed before their formal resignation from the Majles was approved. In other words, Ghalibaf’s frustration may stem from the President's failure to consult him in advance about the appointments, rather than any deeper political disagreement.
According to ISNA, Pezeshkian told Paydari members at the meeting: "My only purpose is to solve the country's problems, and I am calling on the followers of all schools of thought to cooperate with us rather than fight us."
Some reformists however have criticized Pezeshkian for seeking to cooperate with the ultraconservatives. Reformist journalist Ali Talebzadeh wrote in a post on X: "Although it is the Pezeshkian'd administration, all of its middle and senior managers come from the Raisi administration. Another reformist journalist Mohammad Aghazadeh wrote: "What would Jalili have done had he won the election that Pezeshkian is not doing? Everyone acts in the same way that the system wants them to act. Nothing more. There are no differences between Iranian politicians." He added sarcastically: "That is the only meaning of national reconciliation."
Highlighting the irony of reconciliation among political rivals without addressing the public's grievances, another user commented: "They talk about national reconciliation, yet they beat protesting pensioners outside the President's Office. They threaten a university student, barring her from continuing her education for a second time, despite promises of reconciliation. Do you still believe it matters who holds the office of President?"
Reformist politicians, however, have a different idea. Cleric Mohammad Ali Abtahi wrote that "I believe Pezeshkian's national reconciliation is a continuation of [former reformist President Mohammad] Khatami's reforms. The people are tired of disputes between various parties. I hope Pezeshkian's dialogue with other political groups is mindful of social realities. Most people ignored the idea of reconciliation by not voting in the elections. We need to find a way to start a dialogue with them."
The story of Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz
Daniel Lifshitz's grandparents, Oded and Yocheved, are believers in peace.
As lifelong human rights activists, they regularly transported patients from Gaza to Israel for medical treatments in their golden years.
In 1972, Daniel said Oded challenged the Israeli military and Ariel Sharon to protect Bedouin Arabs in Rafah.
“He was a journalist, peace activist, human rights activist; he was with the Doctors Without Borders in Rwanda. They believe education is the only thing that will save Gaza,” said Daniel.
Their abduction casts light on a brutal irony: having spent their lives trying to unite both sides of the conflict, they were taken hostage and used as pawns in a war that they opposed.
Daniel’s grandmother Yocheved was released after 16 days in captivity, but his 83-year-old grandfather Oded is still a hostage, one year on.
His best friend, a medic murdered on Oct. 7, and more than a quarter of the Kibbutz Nir Oz where he grew up with 400 members, were either kidnapped or murdered by Hamas.
His grandparents' home in Nir Oz, close to the border with Gaza in Southern Israel, burned to ashes. Daniel was in France and luckily his mother Rita and daughter were in Tel Aviv on Oct. 7, escaping potential death and abduction.
While he marks the tragedy and the pain of not knowing the fate of his grandfather and other hostages, he believes his nightmare started with the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Everything started from the green light of Iran, and they pushed for it.”
Daniel said Iran could end everyone's suffering and push Hamas for a ceasefire and release of the hostages, but he believes the clerical establishment is more interested in escalating the conflict.
If Israel had confronted Iran directly, Daniel says, instead of invading Gaza, the situation may have ended by now.
“I believe that if we started it with that, maybe with answering Iran and not Gaza on October 7th, things could be different.”
Israeli forces have killed 41,000 people in Gaza according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Since Hamas's surprise attack, Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas and that it aims to minimize civilian casualties.
Israeli official figures estimate that about 1,200 of its people have been killed since Oct.7, including about 800 civilians, 346 soldiers and 66 police officers.
Judi and Gadi
Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai were soulmates.
They were pro-peace activists who abhorred war, said their daughter Iris Weinstein Haggai.
She described her parents as hippies with her father playing the flute in the Israeli military orchestra, making meals in his kibbutz as a chef and her mother teaching English and mindfulness.
"They had a band together called the Jazz Alliance, and they played all over Israel."
They were murdered by Hamas on October 7 after taking their morning walk outside the Kibbutz Nir Oz fields. It was something they did every day, except that day didn’t end like it always did.
Their routine ended in tragedy.
Judi witnessed her husband being killed. She called medical emergency services, describing in detail what had happened over the phone.
Their daughter, Iris, heard the tapes and shared it with the media.
Iris said paramedics tried to send an ambulance, but the wheels of the ambulance were shot by Hamas who then burned it.
Her mother died after that call, but Iris doesn’t know exactly what had happened. They had both been shot by Hamas on motorbikes, with Gadi being "hit badly" according to his desperate wife on the phone, and Judi sustaining wounds.
“All I know is that my mom witnessed my dad's murder. And that she was either murdered after or died from her wounds because they were both shot by terrorists on a motorcycle that day.”
Their bodies were taken to Gaza where they are still held hostage. Judi, who grew up in Toronto and was born in New York, held Canadian, American and Israeli citizenship. Her husband held American and Israeli passports.
It’s been a year, and Iris said she still doesn’t have a grave to go to.
Judi and Gadi sent a final text message to their children at around seven in the morning, saying that they were under attack from rockets. It ended with Iris asking her parents to let her know when they arrived home.
That never happened.
“It's just been like a long day since,” said Iris.
“They were just stolen from us. And it's that feeling that you can't create new memories anymore.”
She said her biggest regret was that her children would not get to grow up with their grandparents.
Iris has a lot of questions on why it took Israeli forces several hours to respond in Nir Oz.
An official probe found that it failed to properly assess and respond to the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. The findings published in July stated that the Gaza Division sent troops to neighboring communities but not to Nir Oz itself.
It took seven hours for security forces to arrive.
While Iris wants answers from the Israeli government, she points the blame at the Islamic Republic of Iran.
She told Iran International that current events provide an opportunity to take on Iran's theocratic rulers, whom she views as the orchestrators of the attacks.
“I think it's finally time to do something about the Islamic regime in Iran. This is the time.”
Through her own pain, she has established connections with the Iranian diaspora and is trying to form a united front against what she sees as Iran's oppressive leadership.
Iris spoke of the timing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the Iranian people last week, delivered in English and subtitled in Persian, conveying a warning to the system and assurances to the people of Iran.
“I think that that unity is really strong. And there's a reason that, you know, Bibi spoke to the Iranian people. But I think we should unite somehow and create this front together,” she added.
