Iran’s support for Hamas fans suspicion it’s wrecking Israel-Saudi deal
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s top military adviser said Tehran supported the attacks by Hamas against Israel on Saturday and would continue to back the Islamist fighters “until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem.”
The remarks by Yahya Rahim Safavi, a former commander of the country’s Revolutionary Guards, will only fan suspicion that Tehran played a direct role in supporting its traditional ally, Hamas, in the well-planned attacks that have killed at least 40 people and injured more than 700.
Interventions by Rahim Safavi and other senior Iranian policymakers will also be seen by Iran’s long-running regional rival Saudi Arabia as a threatening signal that Tehran is willing to stir up regional conflict to prevent Riyadh from normalizing ties with Israel, as the U.S. wants.
“We support the commendable ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’ operations,” Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by state media in Iran, using Hamas’ name for Saturday’s rocket attacks and incursions.
The assault from Gaza came just four days after Khamenei posted on social media: “The usurper regime is coming to an end. Today, the Palestinian youth and the anti-oppression, anti-occupation movement in Palestine is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than ever during the past 70 or 80 years. God willing, the movement will achieve its goals.”
The militant offensive comes at a highly sensitive diplomatic moment, with Saudi Arabia intimating that it could normalize relations with Israel — an alliance that would profoundly unsettle Tehran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will have triggered alarm bells in Iran with an interview on Fox News last month when, addressing diplomacy with Israel, he said: “Every day, we get closer.”
In recent weeks, Iran’s leaders have railed against a U.S.-backed proposed deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Khamenei on October 3 saying countries aiming to normalize relations with Israel would be taking a big risk. “The position of the Islamic Republic is that countries that make the gamble of normalization with Israel will lose. They are betting on a losing horse,” Khamenei said.
Hezbollah, another militant group linked to Iran, also appeared to link Saturday’s violence with the Saudi rapprochement, saying in a statement the attack was a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel.”
The start of the assault, the largest clash since Israel and Hamas fought a 10-day battle in 2021, was announced by Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif. “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been fired at Israel.
Israeli officials have been predicting since August a likely attack from either Hamas or Hezbollah, or both, amid increasing skirmishes in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. In the summer, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned if war were to break out with Hezbollah it would result in Lebanon being returned “to the stone age.”
In September, there were meetings in Lebanon between Hamas and Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders, according to Jason Brodsky, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. That provides “some clues as to organization of this assault on Israel today,” he said.
Hostility between Israel and the Gaza-based Islamist Hamas movement erupted into war in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Ties between Hamas and Iran, its main backer, became strained on the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, with Tehran backing President Bashar al-Assad and the Palestinian group supporting rebels fighting to topple the Syrian leader.
Hamas pulled closer to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as a result, but it had little choice but to re-establish links with Iran as the civil war raged in Syria. The Palestinian group became more and more isolated because of Arab Spring developments and grew increasingly cash-strapped when funding from Tehran and Damascus, where it headquartered until 2012, dried up.
It suffered further financial problems from the ousting of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, the first Muslim Brotherhood leader of Egypt. And a change in leadership in Qatar also hit it financially, forcing Hamas to backtrack on its position on the Syrian civil war and return cap in hand to Tehran.
“I believe that the hand of Iran will be found in elements of this,” said Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.
He said the assault by Hamas was a marked change from the Palestinian group. Before it was focused on suicide bombings and crude rocket attacks; this time it is “going deep into Israel and pulling off an operation that marks a significant departure. “This strikes at the heart of the Israel Defense Force. It strikes at the heart of Israel. This is unlike anything that we’ve seen from Hamas in the past. And it demonstrates a strategic decision undertaken by the organization that I don’t think would happen without its patrons in Tehran.”
“There are questions about whether other fronts will now turn turn hot, which is a serious concern that Israel has long held with regard to the Iranian encirclement strategy,” he added.
“Will the West Bank turn hot? Will Shi’ite militias activate in places like Syria? Will Hezbollah get involved? We will see over the next few hours or days to come whether this was just simply an attempt by Hamas to make a statement and to announce itself anew or whether this is part of a broader strategy where other elements beholden to Iran participate. This is the war I think everyone has feared with an Iranian goal of encirclement and perhaps even an attempt to strangle the Israeli state.”
EXPLAINER
Dozens killed, hundreds injured after Hamas sends rockets, fighters in to Israel, which has started bombing Gaza.
Published On 7 Oct 20237 Oct 2023
Israel and Hamas seem to be on the brink of another conflict after a surprise attack on Saturday involving aerial, sea and ground operations, initiated by the Palestinian group from the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with a heavy bombardment of the blockaded coastal enclave.
Here is what to know:
list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3list 2 of 3list 3 of 3end of list- The Palestinian armed group Hamas has launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” against Israel in the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war in 2021.
- Hamas said it had fired 5,000 rockets, while Israel confirmed that the group’s fighters had entered its territory.
- Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, said that the group attacked from land, sea and air.
- The first round of rockets was fired at 6:30am local time (03:30 GMT).
- The Israeli army also said it launched “Operation Iron Swords” against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
- The early-morning attacks occurred on Simchat Torah, a holiday which falls towards the conclusion of the weeklong Jewish festival known as Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles.
- The rockets were fired as far north as Tel Aviv. Hamas also sent fighters into southern Israel.
- Israeli media said that gunmen had opened fire on passers-by in the town of Sderot, and footage circulating on social media appeared to show clashes in city streets as well as gunmen in jeeps roaming the countryside. One report claimed Hamas fighters had taken control of multiple Israeli civilian population centres, where residents were begging for help from their government.
- The Israeli army says dozens of fighter jets were carrying out attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
- Currently, the gun battles are taking place in and around the towns of Kfar Aza, Sderot, Sufa, Nahal Oz, Magen, Be’eri, and the Re’im military base, the Times of Israel reported.
How many casualties in Israel and Palestine?
- Medical sources in Gaza said at least 160 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,000 wounded.
- Israeli health officials said at least 40 Israelis have been killed and 750 wounded in Hamas attacks.
Why did Hamas attack Israel?
- Hamas spokesperson Khaled Qadomi has told Al Jazeera that the group’s military operation is in response to all the atrocities the Palestinians have faced over the decades.
- “We want the international community to stop atrocities in Gaza, against Palestinian people, our holy sites like Al-Aqsa. All these things are the reason behind starting this battle,” he said.
- “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on Earth,” Mohammed Deif, the Hamas military commander said, adding that 5,000 rockets were launched.
- “Everyone who has a gun should take it out. The time has come,” Deif said, according to reports.
- Hamas called on “the resistance fighters in the West Bank” as well as “our Arab and Islamic nations” to join the battle, in a statement posted on Telegram.
What is the Israeli government saying?
- The Israeli army warned Israelis who live near Gaza to stay in their homes or head to shelters.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is in a war it “will win”.
- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel “will win this war.” Hamas, he said, had made a “grave mistake this morning and launched a war against the State of Israel”.
What is the latest on the ground?
- Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel’s police chief said there were “21 active scenes” in southern Israel
- Al Jazeera’s Walid al-Omari, bureau chief in Ramallah, says Israeli forces surrounded a house in the Ofakim settlement and negotiations are under way with Palestinian fighters who are allegedly holding hostages.
- The Israeli Ministry of Education says all kindergartens and schools will remain closed across the country on Sunday, expanding a previously announced decision.
- The Ministry of Health in Gaza has issued a call for blood donations at hospitals in the besieged enclave.
- Follow all the latest updates in our page.
What are the international reactions so far?
- The Czech government has condemned Hamas for launching “terrorist attacks” on Prague’s traditional ally Israel.
- The European Union’s foreign chief, Josep Borrell, expressed solidarity with Israel.
- The French foreign ministry said France condemned the “terrorist attacks under way against Israel and its population” and that France expressed its full solidarity with Israel.
The UK “unequivocally condemns” a surprise attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Israel on Saturday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
Egypt warned of “grave consequences” from an escalation in a statement from the foreign ministry carried by the state news agency on Saturday. It called for “exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger”.
- Lebanese group Hezbollah issued a statement on Saturday saying it was closely following the situation in Gaza and was in “direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Speaking in a meeting with the visiting Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash in Baku on Saturday, Aliyev said Azerbaijan was an initiator of the 3+3 format and considers holding a meeting within this format as soon as possible a positive step.
He also said his country will proceed with its activities in the field of creating transport corridors within the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Aliyev pointed to the significance of the ground-breaking ceremony of a bridge on the Aras RIver within the framework of the construction of roads, bridges, and infrastructures of the border crossing and fortification of the coasts near the Aghband region and added that these measures will strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries.
Iran’s minister of roads and urban development, for his part, conveyed the warm greetings of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the president of Azerbaijan and said the countries of the region and the people have deep cultural and historical bonds with one another.
Peace in the Caucasus region will create great prospects for the region, Bazrpash added.
Steve Forbes responds to the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, details the reasons behind it, and explains what Israel, and the U.S., must do next.
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Footage emerges of Hamas's surprise attack on Israel from Gaza.
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Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented and multi-front attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations. It caught Israel off guard on a major holiday. Hours after the invasion began at daybreak Saturday, Hamas militants are still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities. Israel says more than 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded.
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ANGRIFF AUF ISRAEL: Israelischer Botschafter Prosor kündigt Bestrafung der Hamas an
#israel #hamasattack #weltnachrichtensender
Der israelische Botschafter in Berlin, Ron Prosor, hat eine Bestrafung der Verantwortlichen für den Großangriff auf Israel angekündigt. Die Hamas-Führung habe ohne Provokation die Entscheidung getroffen, Israel anzugreifen, sagte Prosor am Samstag im Deutschlandfunk. «Wir werden alles tun, uns nicht nur zu verteidigen, sondern all diejenigen, die verantwortlich sind, auch zu bestrafen.»
Verantwortlich ist aus Sicht des Botschafters neben der von der EU, den USA und Israel als Terrororganisation eingestufte Hamas auch der Iran. «Es ist klar für uns, dass Iran dahintersteckt», sagte der Botschafter. Iran versuche alles, die Region in einen Kriegszustand zu bringen. Es bleibe nicht ohne Folgen, wenn man Israel angreift.
Prosor sprach von einem «monströsen» Angriff gegen Zivilisten. Derzeit befreie die Armee israelische Städte. «Raketen fliegen ohne Pause, Wohnhäuser brennen und Zivilisten werden als Geiseln genommen», sagte er. «Die Menschen in Gaza müssen wissen, dass die Hamas-Führung wirklich die Entscheidung getroffen hat und für alles, was jetzt passiert, verantwortlich sein wird.»
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Video 2023 erstellt
Ukraine's Zelenskiy offered condolences for the victims of Russian missile attacks in the Kharkiv region this week. More than 50 people were killed in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the war began.
Kremlin forces hit a residential area of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, with ballistic missiles early Friday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens. The hit on high-rise apartments and homes came less than 24 hours after 52 people were killed when a Russian rocket hit a cafe and grocery store in the village of Hroza near Kupyansk, to Kharkiv’s southeast,.
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Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding hundreds in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into Israel with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza. Israel said the Iran-backed group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate. FRANCE 24's Irris Makler reports from Jerusalem.
#Hamas #Israel #violence
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The elusive leader of Hamas' military wing says the armed group has launched a new military operation against Israel. In a rare public statement, Mohammed Deif said that 5,000 rockets had been fired into Israel early Saturday to begin “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” Israel also reported an infiltration from Gaza.
#Hamas #Israel #Gaza
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Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding hundreds in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into Israel with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza. Noga Tarnopolsky is a journalist based in Jerusalem, she tells us more on the situation on the ground.
#Hamas #Israel #Gaza
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will exact a “huge price” from Hamas in response to an unprecedented infiltration that killed at least 22 people. Netanyahu told his Security Cabinet on Saturday that Israel's first goal is to “cleanse the area” of militants and regain control of the southern communities that were attacked.
#Hamas #Israel #Netanyahu
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel “at war” after Gaza Strip militants fired over 2,000 missiles and infiltrated southern parts of the country, killing an estimated 22 Israelis, in a surprise attack early Saturday.
Hundreds were injured and defense forces were unable to immediately access some communities overrun by Hamas. Israel said it was reinforcing “all arenas” with an extensive mobilization of reserves for what’s been dubbed “Operation Swords of Iron.” Israel sent a dozen or more warplanes to strike back within the strip.
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With the combined efforts of Shin Bet, Israeli domestic intelligence, Mossad, its external spy agency and all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, it is frankly astounding that nobody saw this coming.
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