169: Chapter 166 Fighting Back

Ahvaz, Reza's office.

Reza called in Karimi.

"We've changed the plan," he said.

"How?"

"We are no longer looking for the Chemical weapons factory," Reza said, "We are attacking Iraq's transportation system. Specifically, the main bridges from Baghdad to the southern front."

Karimi thought for a moment.

"This is a clever approach," he said, "but we need to coordinate many things."

"I know," Reza said, "We need to identify all the key bridges. We need to deploy Scud missiles. We need to send in Special Forces. We need to launch the attack at the same time so Iraq doesn't have time to react."

"When do we start?"

"Within forty-eight hours," Reza said.

"Forty-eight hours?" Karimi said, "That's impossible."

"It must be possible," Reza said, "Otherwise, the Chemical weapons will reach the front line. Otherwise, Ahvaz will be attacked."

Karimi fell silent.

He knew Reza was right.

Time was not on their side.

"Fine," he said finally, "I will start making arrangements."

"One more thing," Reza said, "We need to know Iraq's specific transport routes. Not general routes, but the specific routes for transporting these Chemical weapons."

"How would we know?"

"Our intelligence network," Reza said, "We have some informants in Iraq. Have them report all signs of Chemical weapons transport immediately."

"Yes."

Karimi prepared to leave.

"Karimi," Reza said.

"Yes?"

"Beheshti's network," Reza said, "We passed a lot of false information to Iraq through him. Can we use this?"

Karimi thought for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Iraq doesn't know Beheshti is dead yet," Reza said, "Saddam Hussein might still be waiting for Beheshti's next intelligence report."

"Yes."

"We'll have Beheshti send a new report to Saddam Hussein," Reza said, "We'll pretend it's from Beheshti."

"What kind of intelligence?"

"We tell Saddam Hussein," Reza said, "that Iran already knows about the Chemical weapons attack plan. Iran is preparing a massive counterattack. Make Saddam Hussein nervous. Make him make a hasty decision."

Karimi looked at Reza.

"This is dangerous," he said, "If Saddam Hussein decides to use the Chemical weapons immediately, we'll be in trouble."

"Possibly," Reza said, "But it's more likely that Saddam Hussein will delay the attack. He'll wait until he's more certain. That way, we'll have more time."

Karimi thought for a moment.

"Fine," he said, "I'll arrange it."

He went out.

Reza sat in his office.

He was thinking.

This was a big gamble.

If the fake intelligence from "Beheshti" made Saddam Hussein delay the attack, Iran would win.

If the fake intelligence from "Beheshti" made Saddam Hussein accelerate the attack, Iran would lose.

It was a fifty-fifty chance.

But Reza believed he understood Saddam Hussein.

Saddam Hussein was a cautious man.

Saddam Hussein wouldn't change his entire plan because of one piece of intelligence.

Saddam Hussein would delay, waiting until he was more certain.

At least, Reza hoped so.

Baghdad, Saddam Hussein's office.

Hassan Rajab brought a new piece of intelligence.

"This is from 'The Eagle'," he said.

Saddam Hussein took the intelligence.

"Iran already knows about the Chemical weapons attack plan," the intelligence said, "Iran is preparing a massive counterattack. It is recommended to delay the attack until after Iran's counterattack operation is over."

Saddam Hussein finished reading and frowned.

"Iran knows?" he said, "How do they know?"

"I don't know," Hassan Rajab said, "The Eagle didn't say."

Saddam Hussein thought for a moment.

"I don't believe it," he said, "Our Chemical weapons plan is highly classified. Iran couldn't possibly know."

"Then why did The Eagle say that?"

"Perhaps The Eagle received incorrect information," Saddam Hussein said, "Perhaps Iran is making some general preparations, and The Eagle mistook them for preparations for a counterattack."

Hassan Rajab fell silent.

"What should we do then?" he asked, "Continue as planned? Or delay?"

Saddam Hussein thought for a long time.

"Delay," he said finally, "Wait another week. Let us be more certain."

"Yes."

Hassan Rajab went out.

Saddam Hussein sat in his chair.

He didn't like delays.

But he also knew he couldn't take risks.

If Iran really knew, his Chemical weapons attack would fail.

He would lose his Chemical weapons without causing any damage to Iran.

It was better to wait another week.

Let the attack proceed after Iran's counterattack operation is over.

But what he didn't know was that he had just made a wrong decision.

He had given Iran the time they needed.

Ahvaz, Reza's office.

Karimi returned to report.

"Saddam Hussein has delayed," he said, "Our informants confirm that Iraq's Chemical weapons preparations have been paused for a week."

Reza nodded.

"Very good," he said, "We have a week's time."

"What do we do now?"

"We continue as planned," Reza said, "Within forty-eight hours, launch the attack on Iraq's transportation system. We want to make sure Iraq recovers their transportation system only after they've resumed Chemical weapons preparations."

"Fine," Karimi said.

"Also," Reza said, "We'll use this week to do more. We need to find the location of Iraq's Chemical weapons factory. We need to procure more anti-chemical equipment. We need to train more chemical defense troops."

"I will arrange everything."

Karimi went out.

Reza sat in his office, looking out the window.

He had won the first round.

But the war was far from over.

Western Iran, Special Forces base.

Colonel Hamid was gathering his troops.

"We have a new mission," he said, "Within forty-eight hours, we need to enter Iraq and destroy several key bridges and railway hubs."

The Special Forces soldiers looked at him.

"What are the specific targets?" a soldier asked.

Colonel Hamid pulled out a map.

"Five targets," he said, "Two bridges, two railway hubs, one tunnel. Each target is critical for Iraq's transport of Chemical weapons."

"How many groups are we splitting into?"

"Five groups," Colonel Hamid said, "Each group is responsible for one target. Twelve people per group."

"Equipment?"

"Heavy explosives," Colonel Hamid said, "Enough to destroy any bridge. Also, self-defense weapons and communication equipment."

Colonel Hamid looked at his troops.

"This is a dangerous mission," he said, "We are going deep into Iraqi territory. We might encounter Iraqi troops. We might be discovered."

"When do we depart?" another soldier asked.

"Tonight," Colonel Hamid said, "We'll use helicopters to get to the border, then walk into Iraq."

"What if we fail?"

Colonel Hamid fell silent for a moment.

"If we fail," he said, "Iraq's Chemical weapons will reach the front line. Ahvaz will be attacked. A million people could die."

The Special Forces soldiers fell silent.

They knew their mission was not just a military one.

It was a mission to save lives.

"We will not fail," Colonel Hamid said, "We are Iran's best Special Forces. We will complete the mission."

The Special Forces soldiers stood up and saluted.

"For Iran!" they said.

Ahvaz, Reza's office.

Fatima reported to Reza via video conference.

"I have selected the targets for the Scud missiles," she said, "We will use ten missiles to attack ten different targets. Including bridges, railways, tunnels, gas stations."

"Gas stations?" Reza asked.

"Yes," Fatima said, "Iraqi trucks need fuel. If we destroy the main gas stations, the trucks won't be able to move."

"That's a smart idea," Reza said.

"Also," Fatima said, "While we use the ten missiles, the Special Forces will also be attacking different targets. This way, Iraq will face attacks from different directions. They will be overwhelmed."

"When will the missiles be launched?" Reza asked.

"Tomorrow at 4:00 AM," Fatima said, "Synchronized with the Special Forces attack."

"Good," Reza said.

The video conference ended.

3:00 AM.

Iran's Scud missile base.

Ten missiles were loaded onto the launch vehicles.

Each missile was aimed at a different target.

The launch countdown began.

3:50 AM.

The launch vehicles moved into the firing position.

Each missile was ready.

3:59 AM.

The countdown entered the final minute.

4:00 AM.

The first missile took off.

Then the second.

The third.

The fourth.

...

Ten missiles took off at the same time.

They streaked across the night sky, flying towards Iraq.

Iraq, the first bridge.

4:05 AM.

There was little movement near the bridge.

Only a few trucks were passing through.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the sky.

It was a missile.

The missile hit the bridge.

A huge explosion.

The middle section of the bridge was blown up.

At the same time, in other parts of Iraq—

A railway bridge was blown up.

A railway hub was blown up.

A gas station was blown up.

A tunnel was blocked.

Iraq's transportation system was paralyzed instantly.

But this was just the beginning.

The Special Forces had not yet moved.