Tehran has tried to take some credit for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 as part of its revenge for the assassination of a high-ranking Iranian official, but the Hamas terror group strongly denied the claims in a rare dispute between allies. nearby.
“It is natural for Hamas to deny any links here to avoid giving Israel more reasons to continue its military mission against the terrorist group,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
“Iran has been trying to wash blood with blood since the assassination of Soleimani, whose anniversary is approaching and hopes to cause hype,” Taleblu explained. “It should come as no surprise that the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism attempts to use terror to respond to the loss of its leading terrorist mastermind.”
Middle East outlet Al Jazeera, owned by the Qatari government, reported Wednesday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed that the October 7 attack, known as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, was “one of the responses to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.”
Hamas, however, immediately rejected Iran’s statement and stressed that the group has “repeatedly” confirmed the “motives and reasons” for the attack, which it called “acts of Palestinian resistance… in response to the Zionist occupation and its aggression.” ongoing against our country. people and our holy places,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
“Focusing on the ends, defined here as attacking the Jewish state, often matters more than the means or any intervening political motivation,” Taleblu argued. “This is what makes Iran a successful sponsor of its proxy network.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been trying to give his country credit for the October 7 attack on Israel. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via ZUMA / SplashNews.com Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh shake hands during a meeting in Doha, Qatar, on 20 December 2023. AP
“It is natural for Hamas to deny any links here to avoid giving Israel more reasons to continue its military mission against the terrorist group,” he added.
Iran’s claim comes after the death of another senior IRGC adviser in Damascus on Monday, which the group called an “act of terrorism” committed by Israel, according to Iranian state media.
The Wall Street Journal, immediately after October 7, reported that Iran helped plan the attack and train Hamas terrorists before its execution.
Hamas terrorists transport a captured Israeli civilian on a motorcycle from the Kfar Azza kibbutz to the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. AP An attendee at the Tribe of Nova music festival flees the terrorist attack during the initial Hamas raid in Israel on October 7.
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Hamas strongly and repeatedly denied Iran’s involvement, and Iran initially claimed it had no prior knowledge of the attack.
American leaders also said they saw no evidence that Iran helped Hamas plan the attacks; reports that the United States has since reiterated, which makes Iran’s sudden claim so surprising and disconcerting.
“It is clear that while Iran has been Hamas’s primary backer, it did not flip the switch to tell Hamas to carry out its horrific attack on Israel on October 7,” said Joel Rubin, deputy assistant secretary of state for Homeland Affairs. during the Obama presidency. administration, he told Fox News Digital.
Reports suggest that one of the reasons for the attack on Israel was the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. AP
“The result is that Hamas is increasingly frustrated that its patron, Iran, has not pressured other militant groups, such as Hezbollah, to attack Israel in a cohesive manner,” he argued. “Iran is responding to these concerns by slowly activating its network, but US responses to Iranian proxy attacks have been swift and effective.”
Hamas is just one of nearly two dozen proxy groups that Iran funds and supports in the Middle East as part of its campaign against rival nations in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Some of those other proxy groups have attempted to expand the conflict with Israel or attack US assets and military forces in the Middle East to disrupt US support for Israel.
An Israeli 155 self-propelled howitzer fires a shot toward the southern Gaza Strip during Israel’s military operation in the area on December 27, 2023. Jim Hollander/UPI/Shutterstock Iranian protesters hold posters of the late Qassem Soleimani during a pro demonstration -Palestine in Tehran, Iran, on November 18, 2023. AP
The US Navy on Tuesday shot down 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack missiles fired by the Houthis over a 12-hour period, US Central Command reported this week.
The Houthis have launched nearly 100 drones since October 17, much of their assets provided by Iran.
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