Originally published October 12, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
The statement contradicts comments from Hamas leadership that Iran did not play a part in the attacks on Israel.
QUICK FACTS:
- Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesperson, recently told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that Iran played a key role in the attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
- Hamad also said that other countries and organizations were involved in the attacks, but did not divulge any further information.
- The statement contradicts comments made by Hamas leadership, who said that Iran and Hezbollah were not involved in the attack but were prepared to “join the battle.”
- A Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdulhadi, told Newsweek that Hamas coordinated with Hezbollah and others in the “Axis of Resistance” prior to the attack.
- Abdulhadi said his militant group “coordinated with Hezbollah and with Iran and the Axis before, during and after this battle at the highest level.”
IRAN TO “CAUSE ISRAELIS TO QUIT ISRAEL”:
- According to the director of research at the Middle East Forum, Jonathan Spyer, Iran intends “to reduce the morale of Israelis, to cause Israelis to lose faith in their institutions, to cause Israelis to quit Israel.”
- “That’s the reason why they’re backing Hamas. That’s the reason why they created Hezbollah,” Spyer said. “They intend to try to surround Israel with what we would call hybrid military forces.”
- Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, warned that countries supporting Israel will “lose.”
- “The position of the Islamic Republic is that countries that make the gamble of normalization with Israel will lose,” he told Iranian state media. “They are betting on a losing horse.”
BACKGROUND:
- Hamas called for a global Muslim uprising on October 13.
- “Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah. That is better for you, if you only knew,” they declared.
- Explicitly addressing Palestinians within Israel, Hamas stated: “This day is your day to mobilize, assemble, and stand united in guarding the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
- But Hamas broadened its appeal beyond regional confines, declaring, “From Palestine, the land of Al-Isra and Al-Mi’raj, from the heart of Jerusalem and its surroundings, we extend this call to the living conscience within the hearts of the masses of our Arab and Islamic nation.”
