What is the significance of the Iranian army publishing photos of its leaders' meeting?

SadaNews - With the failure of the United States and Israel to translate their military achievements in Iran into a political victory, the ground operation threatened by US President Donald Trump seems imminent, according to military expert Colonel Nidal Abu Zaid.

Both sides continue to exchange violent attacks, as the Israeli army reported conducting over 400 aerial raids in coordination with the United States over the past two days, while Iran and Hezbollah continued their counter operations targeting vital areas in Israel.

While the US-Israeli strikes focused on the vicinity of Tehran and Tabriz in the northwest and other areas in the west, Iranian and Hezbollah strikes targeted central, southern, and northern Israel, particularly the Greater Tel Aviv area, which is home to over 4 million Israelis and includes the majority of military and economic strategic installations.

Despite five weeks having passed since this war began, the US and Israel are still unable to achieve a breakthrough in the Iranian military side to secure a political gain, which Abu Zaid attributed in an analysis to Al Jazeera to the Iranians' response to these strikes.

The American and Israeli side relies on complete air sovereignty, while the Iranians are leveraging geography to negate this sovereignty, as evident from the progress of operations.

Americans and Israelis have divided Iran into squares to facilitate coordinated strikes between the two sides, to which the Iranians responded by launching missiles from all over the country to increase the risk to enemy aircraft if they attempt to target all launch platforms, according to Abu Zaid.

Preparation for a Ground Attack

At the same time, Tehran published photos of a military meeting led by Army Commander General Amir Hatami, which gives the impression of an impending ground operation that Trump is threatening, in the opinion of the military expert.

Abu Zaid stated that holding the meeting at the Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Operations Headquarters, with the presence of a large number of ground commanders, indicates that Iran is preparing for a potential ground operation, possibly confirmed by intelligence sensors, which led it to discuss a counter-ground operation.

Regarding the Iranian missile bursts, Abu Zaid noted that they have started to coincide with the first light of dawn and with the last light, making them more impactful on Israel.

Iran focuses in these bursts on bombing the Bnei Brak area, which has a Haredi majority, where the debate continues within Israel about integrating it into the military, in an attempt to deepen the internal crisis, Abu Zaid said, adding that the area also includes a complex for manufacturing Israeli aircraft spare parts, indicating an effort to affect the operation of fighter jets during the war.

Regarding the simultaneous targeting from Lebanon and Iran towards Israel, the military expert said it focuses on Haifa and Nahariya due to their strategic value and to continue a relentless drain on Israeli defenses.

On the Lebanese front, Israeli media report that the army has advanced 14 kilometers into the south, with Haaretz citing sources that say the operation is difficult due to the geographical nature of the area.

Israel, according to an interactive display presented by Mohammed Ramal on Al Jazeera, is trying to control high places such as Maroun al-Ras and the al-Owda Hill near Adeisseh and is attempting to expand control over the tents that overlook the Finger of Galilee area, which is continuously bombed by Hezbollah.

However, these forces do not advance in a straight manner, due to significant resistance from Hezbollah fighters, but move in a winding manner and avoid populated areas, to minimize human losses, according to Abu Zaid.

It is clear from the statements of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir that the lack of human resources is becoming a significant pressure factor on Israel, which has led it to rely more on armored forces, according to Abu Zaid, who stated that resorting to this critical situation only occurs when the army loses 35% of its forces.

Even controlling the ground is not done completely, but is achieved through positioning in high points, according to Abu Zaid, which explains the efforts of the occupation army to position itself in Maroun al-Ras, al-Owda Hill, and the tents, all of which are over 700 meters above ground level, from which the Finger of Galilee area is bombed.

Hezbollah's operational mechanism indicates a division of strength to bomb forces close to the border in Misgav Am and Shebaa Farms, and to strike deep into Israel reaching Nahariya and Haifa, indicating that it targets combat areas and the rear of advancing enemy forces.

Source: Al Jazeera