Good, I simply sought after you to understand that. ” 23 Tehran, Iran The Airbus A310-200 touched down in Tehran with out fanfare. To the informal observer, it used to be a regular IranAir flight. yet whereas the twin-engine, wide-body jet as a rule carried greater than 230 passengers, this actual inbound flight from Beirut carried simply eight—the 12th Imam, his own aide, and 6 Iranian intelligence brokers, now doubling as a private defense aspect after the demise of the entire Mahdi’s bodyguards. No crowds have been to be had to greet the Mahdi. No press. No legit welcome delegation. in reality, the Ayatollah’s workplace had issued a press release that the Mahdi was once going to stick in Beirut for no less than one other day and carry a chain of personal, off-the-record conferences with Hezbollah celebration leaders and senior army commanders. It was once a lie, however it have been issued on the Mahdi’s direct command, and it received them time to get him again effectively and quietly to Iran, the place he might regroup together with his so much depended on servants. From Imam Khomeini foreign Airport, the 12th Imam and Javad have been taken through a Bell 214 Huey army helicopter to the Qaleh, the ideally suited Leader’s seriously guarded retreat complicated on Mount Tochal, one of many maximum peaks within the Alborz mountain diversity, a ways exceptionally the smog and noise and congestion of the capital. expecting them have been his closest advisors: the Ayatollah Hosseini, President Ahmed Darazi, safety Minister Faridzadeh, and common Mohsen Jazini, commander of the Iranian innovative protect Corps. all of them fell prostrate the instant the Mahdi walked into the most eating room. every one praised him lavishly and thanked Allah that he had no longer suffered from the assault. The 12th Imam warmly welcomed their worship. certainly, to Hosseini it appeared he reveled in it, won energy from it. Then the Mahdi steered them to once more take their seats and continue with the briefing for which he had come. Javad, in the meantime, sat opposed to the wall behind the room and took notes. The Ayatollah cleared his throat and assumed command of the assembly. “First, as you directed, we're deciding on deputies to shape a gaggle of twenty. You acknowledged they have to be males of honor and braveness, males keen to die on your sake and for the sake of Allah. this can be virtually whole. we have now seventeen of the twenty. a duplicate of the names and bios for every is within the folder in entrance of you. we are hoping to have the opposite 3 on board in the following few days. ” The Mahdi nodded yet stated not anything, taking a look neither happy nor upset. “Inshallah, we are going to carry our first meeting—quiet, discreet, with none press attention—of this excessive command subsequent Monday. we'd be commemorated, after all, if you happen to selected to hitch us. in the meantime, we've directed the seventeen to start recruiting their quota of a complete of 313 disciples. a few are mullahs that we implicitly belief. such a lot are army commanders and leaders of commercial and undefined, and so much are Iranian, although now we have a few well-trusted Arab participants, a number of Turks, and a handful of Pakistanis.