Until now there was only speculation, but now the evidence is almost certain: Iran is believed to have played a major role in Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel.
In the weeks before October 7, approximately 500 members of the terrorist organization Hamas are said to have undergone special military training in Iran. This is what the American newspaper ‘Wall Street Journal’ writes, citing information from intelligence services about the attack.
The exercises took place in September under the leadership of the Quds Brigade, the Iranian Revolutionary Army’s elite foreign operations unit. Members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which is an ally of Hamas, also took part. Quds Force leader Esmail Qaani was also present.
The attack planning is said to have started a year ago
The Washington Post supports the Wall Street Journal report. According to the intelligence service, Hamas, allied groups and Iran had planned the attack a year in advance. Middle East expert Ali Fatholla-Nejad recently said in an interview with T-online: “I think that is realistic. Because such a complex, unprecedented operation as that of Hamas obviously requires a lot of preparation.
It is more than a question of whether Hamas’s attack on Israel would have been possible without Iran. Iran has also been supporting Hamas financially for thirty years, with an estimated $150 million per year.
The attack by Hamas terrorists is considered an extremely complex undertaking by military experts. The terrorists attacked Israel with hundreds of soldiers on land, sea and from the air, even using motorized paragliders. There were also massive rocket fire and drone attacks on Israeli listening stations.
Hamas and Iran deny cooperation
All this happened in complete secrecy, so that Hamas took the Israeli secret services completely by surprise. This is also why Israeli and American security officials suspect that Iran had a hand in this. The Wall Street Journal writes that Hamas was the first to use motorcycle crews, which are common among Iranian paramilitaries.
The argument against the Wall Street Journal report is that, according to U.S. officials, Iran has often trained foreign troops in the past, but there is no concrete evidence that exercises took place immediately before the major Hamas attack. Moreover, Hamas and Iran strongly deny any cooperation in preparing the attack.
And: According to Fathollah-Nejad, Iran welcomed the attack on Israel, but at the same time the regime in Tehran did not want to put too much spotlight on it – because it would have to fear for its own stability in the event of a disaster. major war in the region. “Such a scenario would not be in the interests of the power elite, but a simmering conflict between Israelis and Palestinians would,” said the political scientist for the Near and Middle East.
So Iran is walking a tightrope. On the one hand, he fears a fire and American warships in the Mediterranean. On the other hand, he threatens Israel to prevent its army from launching a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, as this could significantly compromise Hamas’s fighting capabilities. “If the Israeli military succeeds in eliminating Hamas’s infrastructure and operational capabilities, it would be a bitter loss for Iran,” Fathollah-Nejad said.
On October 7, terrorists carried out a massacre of civilians in Israel on behalf of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. More than 1,400 people died during and in the following days. According to the Israeli military, at least 222 other people were forcibly taken to the Gaza Strip, including several Germans. The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Hamas has risen to 6,547, according to the local health authority.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
