Tehran has tried to take credit for the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as part of revenge for the killing of a top Iranian official, but the Hamas terror group has flatly denied the claim in a strange spat between close allies.
“It is natural for Hamas to deny any connection here to avoid giving Israel more reason to continue its military mission against the terrorist group,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, told Fox News Digital.
“Iran has been trying to wash away blood with blood since the assassination of Soleimani, whose anniversary is near and it hopes to hype,” Taleblu explained. “It should come as no surprise that the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism would seek to use violence in response to the loss of their terror mastermind.”
Middle East channel Al Jazeera, which is owned by the Qatari government, reported Wednesday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the October 7 attack, known as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, was “one of the responses to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.”
Hamas, however, quickly rejected Iran’s statement, insisting that the group had “repeatedly” confirmed the “motives and reasons” for the attack, which it labeled as “an act of Palestinian resistance… in response to the Zionist occupation and its continued aggression against us.” people and our holy sites,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
“Focusing on the goal, defined here as attacking the Jewish state, is often more important than the means or any intervening political motivations,” Taleblu said. “This is what makes Iran such a successful patron of its proxy network.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sought to gain his country’s credit for the October 7 attack on Israel. Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via ZUMA / SplashNews.com Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh shake hands during a meeting in Doha, Qatar on Dec. 20, 2023. AP
“It is natural for Hamas to deny any connection here to avoid giving Israel more reason to continue its military mission against the terrorist group,” he added.
Iran’s claim follows the death of another senior IRGC adviser in Damascus on Monday, which the group labeled an “act of terror” perpetrated by Israel, according to Iranian state media.
The Wall Street Journal, shortly after October 7, reported that Iran helped plan the attack and trained Hamas terrorists before its execution.
Hamas terrorists transport captured Israeli civilians on motorcycles from Kfar Azza kibbutz to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7. 2023. AP A Tribe of Nova music festival attendee runs from a terrorist attack during the initial Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7.
Keep up with the news on the Israel-Hamas war and the surge in global antisemitism with The Post’s Israel War Updates, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Hamas has strongly and repeatedly denied Iranian involvement, and Iran initially claimed it was unaware of the attack.
US leaders have also said they have seen no evidence Iran helped Hamas plan the attack – a US report has repeated, which makes Iran’s sudden claims so surprising and puzzling.
“It is clear that even though Iran has been a major supporter of Hamas, it has not responded to tell Hamas to carry out its horrific attack on Israel on October 7,” Joel Rubin, deputy assistant secretary of state for internal affairs during the Obama administration, told Fox News. Digital.
Reports suggest 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, is not pressuring other militant groups, such as Hezbollah, to attack Israel in a concerted manner,” he argued. “Iran responded to these concerns by slowly turning on its networks, but the American response to Iranian proxy attacks was swift and effective.”
Hamas is just one of nearly two dozen Iranian-funded and backed proxy groups in the Middle East as part of its campaign against rival states in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Several other proxy groups have attempted to widen the conflict with Israel or attack US assets and troops in the Middle East to disrupt American support for Israel.
An Israeli self-propelled Howitzer 155 fires toward the southern Gaza Strip during an Israeli military operation in the area on Dec. 27, 2023. Jim Hollander/UPI/Shutterstock An Iranian protester holds a poster of the late Qassem Soleimani during a pro-Palestinian rally in Tehran, Iran on Dec. 18 Nov. 2023. AP
The US Navy shot down 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack missiles fired by the Houthis in a 12-hour period on Tuesday, US Central Command reported this week.
The Houthis have launched nearly 100 drones since October 17 – most of their assets provided by Iran.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
