“The path to Al-Quds passes through Karbala” was one of the key slogans during the Iran–Iraq War. Imam Khomeini (ra) coined this phrase in June 1982, amid Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and the deployment of units from the Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh) Brigade to Syria. By articulating this slogan, he outlined the main direction of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s political and military strategy following the liberation of Khorramshahr.

At dawn on June 6, 1982, Israel’s Minister of Defense, General Ariel Sharon, ordered a full-scale naval, aerial, armored, and mechanized assault on Lebanese territory, marking the beginning of Israel’s so-called “blitzkrieg”, or lightning war.⁠[1]

In a massive offensive, the Zionist army advanced rapidly and within three days reached Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. After surrounding the city and cutting off its water and electricity, Israeli forces killed Lebanese civilians and Palestinian refugees, and also launched attacks on parts of western and southern Syria.⁠[2]

In a message condemning Israel’s brutal assault on southern Lebanon and Syria, Imam Khomeini (ra) mentioned the Quranic verse “Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return”, expressing his deep dissatisfaction with the silence and indifference of Islamic countries in the face of this catastrophe. The message, issued on June 7, 1982, stated:

“I referred to the blessed words of Istirja (Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return) not for the Israeli crimes in martyring and wounding many of the innocent Muslims of beloved southern Lebanon; rather, I recited the phrase for the support many of the governments extend to Israel and Saddam, these two illegitimate offspring of the United States“.⁠[3] Consequently, the Supreme Defense Council, chaired by Ayatollah Khamenei, approved the deployment of part of the 27th Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh) Brigade, along with the 58th Zulfaqar Commando Brigade of the Army Ground Forces, to Lebanon. It was decided that these units would be organized under a unified combat formation named the Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh) Forces, commanded by Hajj Ahmad Motevaselian, and dispatched to Syria.⁠[4]

The first unit of the Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh) Forces arrived at Damascus International Airport on June 11, 1982.⁠[5] When Iranian forces arrived in Damascus, the Israeli regime implemented unprecedented measures. Immediately after the first aircraft carrying Iranian troops landed, Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire, marking the first step in a tactical retreat.⁠[6]

Based on intelligence reports and field observations submitted to the Commander-in-Chief, Imam Khomeini (ra) told Iran’s political and military officials that Israel’s attack on Syria and Lebanon was a calculated plot designed to divert Iran from its main priority—namely, the war against Saddam’s aggressive regime.⁠[7]

On June 21, 1982, in his well-known speech at Jamaran Hussainiya, Imam Khomeini (ra) articulated Iran’s defense strategy for continuing the war through the now-famous formula: “The path to Al-Quds passes through Karbala”.⁠[8] He stated: “The forces should return quickly, because Israel wants to distract us from our own war. They were aware of what was important to us and that what we are sensitive to is Palestine. Thus, they launched the Israeli attack to divert our attention from the war raging in our country. They have organized a bigger conspiracy, of which we are somehow unaware⁠[9]…They plotted this conspiracy to pull us towards Lebanon and, through that, strike us…We wish that Iraq should be rid of these corrupt rulers and usurpers and then, God willing, Al-Quds⁠[10]…We want to liberate Al-Quds, but without delivering Iraq from this sinister party, we cannot do it. We consider Lebanon to be part and parcel of us, yet the liberation of Iraq is the prelude to the liberation of Lebanon. We should not abandon the preliminary steps and trace the main question, devoting everything to it, while Iraq finds the respite to strengthen its foothold”.⁠[11]

In his daily notes from 1982, Hashemi Rafsanjani recorded the outcome of the Supreme Defense Council meeting held on the morning of June 29, 1982, to determine Iran’s military involvement in Syria and Lebanon:

“At 10 AM, the Supreme Defense Council met in the President’s office… Decisions were made regarding not sending forces to Syria. Overall, we concluded that it was the right decision… The Syrian ambassador came and was pleased that we had prioritized the war with Iraq and that deploying forces from Iran would not put pressure on them to continue the war. He said Israel had deployed new, unknown weapons and that, for now, they did not wish to fight it”.⁠[12]