Hamas Official Says Iran, Hezbollah Would Join War If Needed
A senior Hamas official said if Gaza were subjected to “a war of annihilation,” allies such as Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah "would join the battle."
A senior Hamas official said if Gaza were subjected to “a war of annihilation,” allies such as Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah "would join the battle."
Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas' exiled leadership, shared the remarks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Beirut.
The statement was made amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza and its declaration of a complete blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory following a surprise attack Saturday that caught Israel's military and intelligence services completely off guard. It has resulted in the worst military bombardment of the Jewish state in 50 years.
Hundreds of Hamas militants entered by land, sea and air, resulting in the massacre of hundreds of soldiers and civilians, with dozens more taken captive, including women, children and the infirm.
Barakeh claimed that the attack had been planned by approximately six senior Hamas commanders in Gaza and that even their closest allies were unaware of the timing beforehand.
He refuted reports suggesting that Iranian security officials had helped orchestrate the attack or had given approval during a meeting in Beirut the previous week.
The development came after a joint statement issued on Monday by the United States and four European allies, where they reaffirmed their support for Israel. The leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain emphasized their solidarity with Israel while condemning Hamas.
“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism,” read the statement.
In an address to the nation from the White House, he also expressed concerns about the Americans being held hostage by the Iranian-backed Islamist group as well as the death of at least 11 Americans in the multi-thronged invasion on October 7.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “We believe that there are 20 or more Americans who at this point are missing, but I want to underscore and stress that does not mean necessarily that there are 20 or more American hostages. Just that is the number who are currently unaccounted for."
In his deeply emotional speech, Biden emphasized that the US has Israel’s back, saying, "This is an act of sheer evil.”
"There are moments in this life and I mean this literally when the pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend," he stated.
"So in this moment, we must be crystal clear. We stand with Israel. Let me say again to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word. Don't. Don't!"
Biden's warning can be seen a reminder to the Iranian regime and its most powerful proxy force, the Lebanese Hezbollah, which again traded fire with Israel on Tuesday, as the fighting in and around Gaza was continuing. Earlier, the Chairman of the US joint chiefs, Gen, Charles Brown warned Iran not to get involved in the conflict.
Biden, who spoke after his third phone call in four days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighted in his remarks the US military assistance being sent to help Israel in its fight.
Biden also offered an overview of the actions the United States is taking with allies around the world to support Israel.
Biden also offered support for American Jews and said they should be allowed to worship in peace in the United States. Biden said last month that antisemitism in the United States had risen to record levels.
He added that US law enforcement agencies were taking steps to disrupt any domestic threat that may emerge after Hamas' weekend attack. The FBI said earlier it was "closely monitoring unfolding events" but added it "does not have specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel."
The United States does not plan to put American military forces on the ground, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Israel has called up an unprecedented 300,000 of its own reservists.
Israel's embassy in Washington said the death toll from Hamas' weekend attacks had surpassed 1,000, dwarfing all modern Islamist attacks on the West since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Earlier, Israel’s military announced that the country’s border is under control after hours of fighting and airstrikes Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfuss of the 98th Division said the military is now “moving into the offensive … to change the reality within Gaza to prevent such a thing from happening again.”
Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei talked of “betting on the losing horse” in reference to regional countries, Saudi Arabia in particular, thawing relations with Israel mere days before the attack. The Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guards have also been providing money, weapons, military training and intelligence to militarize the Gaza Strip for years.
The regime was also so quick to install banners and billboards and hold street celebrations for the attack, that people started asking questions if they had been prepared for it. Hamas thanks Iran for support, and Iran reassures that they will get more but implies it had nothing to do with the operation.
In Iran, after Khamenei dictates the themes of the regime’s policy vis-a-vis global developments, other officials and clerics as well as his representatives across the country who are Friday Imams of the cities, start to promulgate them. The office of the Supreme Leader also produces media content to make sure other officials know the themes, such as the “losing horse,” that was made into a video clip and has also become a trendy hashtag in cybersphere by the regime’s online soldiers.
In addition to Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi other senior politicians have been vocal in adulation of the attack. About three days into the war that started with Hamas killing about a thousand Israelis, injuring several thousands, and taking scores as hostages, firebrand cleric Ahmad Khatami, one of Tehran’s Friday Prayer Imams, talked of the regime’s promise of annihilation of Israel and described the attack as “heroic” on Tuesday. "We send a message to the governments that are moving towards normalizing relations with Israel that this path is a dead-end,” he said.
Hossein Noori Hamedani, a conservative grand ayatollah in Iran, said, "Islamic countries should not think of normalizing relations with a country that cannot protect itself and has a government on the brink of collapse."
Mohammad Sadat, the head of the Islamic Development Coordination Council in Kordestan province, not only congratulated Khamenei for the Hamas attack but also threatened that more extensive attacks on Israel would occur. He added, "This prideful operation was a warning to the hegemonic countries."
Congratulations to Hamas came from Abdolnabi Mousavi-Fard, Khamenei’s man in Khuzestan province, stating that "Hamas has executed brilliant scenes of resistance and steadfastness." He added, "The firing of thousands of rockets and missiles at Israel is a blessing of the presence of Khamenei and the school of Qasem Soleimani." As the commander of IRGC’s Quds extraterritorial force, Soleimani was the architect of Iran’s proxy warfare in the region. He was killed by a US drone attack in 2020.
Even officials known to be critical of the regime, such as reformist heavyweight Mohammad Khatami, have hailed the attack as “a significant achievement for the Palestinian people.”
As the international community continues to denounce the Hamas invasion, Iranian officials are openly encouraging Palestinians to escalate their efforts.
Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), described Hamas's attack on Israel as "historic" and stated, "The Islamic Republic has played an effective role in boosting the spirit of resistance and battle." The ‘resistance’ is the term the Islamic Republic regime calls its logistic, financial and intelligence support for the militia groups in the region, several of which were created by Iran.
Mohammad Baqeri, the chairman of the chiefs of staff of the Iranian armed forces, claimed it would not be long before Palestinian youth succeeded in liberating the Al-Aqsa Mosque from what he referred to as "the Zionist enemy." He slammed the ongoing normalization attempts between Israel and Arab nations as a "plot" to prevent the collapse of the Jewish state, saying it “could neither halt nor delay the inevitable decline of Israel".
Iran is not shy about its support for the groups. Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday, "There is no doubt that we will stand by them in realizing the aspirations of the Palestinian people and taking the necessary measures." Shahriar Heydari, the deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, told Didbaniran website that "the Islamic Republic provides training to Palestinian fighters, and we assist in military training." He added, "As long as the people and fighters of Palestine need the Islamic Republic, we try to meet those needs."
Iran has supported various regional militant groups over the years including Hamas, which receives around $100 million in aid each year in addition to the provision of weaponry and financial resources for its operations. Naser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated claims that the Palestinian group had launched the attack independently, adding that the accusations against Iran were politically motivated.
