NEW DELHI: Iran and Hamas have maintained a longstanding relationship. Iran has supported Islamist groups opposing Israel for an extended period. It has asserted that Palestinians have the right to resist. While Iran has denied any direct involvement in the recent Hamas attacks and the Iranian foreign ministry has issued these denials, Iran argues that the accusation is politically motivated. Nonetheless, there are claims that Iran held a meeting with Hamas and Hezbollah in Beirut to coordinate the attack. The day after this meeting, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei advised Arab countries not to align themselves with Israel and not to normalise relations with Israel.
In an exclusive interview with The New Indian, Amos Gilead, former chief of Israel Defence Force (IDF), shed light on how Iran has provided political, financial, and military assistance to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. He highlighted that this support is rooted in Iran’s broader goal of countering Israel’s influence in the region and advancing its own regional agenda.
Shedding light on Iran’s role in the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Gilead said, “Yes, Iran is a leader of this axis of evil that includes two levels. The first level is a process that unfolds tragically. Any nation touched by Iranian influence turns to ashes. Let’s take Lebanon as an example. The Republic of Lebanon, a UN member state, witnessed Hezbollah’s expansion at the expense of its once-thriving prosperity. Today, Lebanon finds itself in a state of significant economic hardship and vulnerability.”
He further discussed Hezbollah in Lebanon and its significant military capabilities, including a large number of rockets, the gradual destabilisation of various countries in the Middle East due to Iranian influence, as well as Iran’s determination to undermine Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Hezbollah assumed control of the entire region extending from Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, which was once renowned for its beauty. Now, instead of the prosperous Lebanon of the past, we see the dominance of Hezbollah, essentially an extension of Iran, which poses a significant threat to Israel with its arsenal of 150,000 rockets and a determined intention to annihilate it, he expressed.
The previous stable nation has been witnessing a gradual erosion, mainly due to the influence of “Shiite foxes” connected to Iran. This trend is seen not only in Lebanon but also in Iraq and Yemen, he further stated.
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Alleging that Iran aims to destabilise Israel and possesses a substantial infrastructure for terrorism, he said, “Iran is the Islamic Republic of Islam. They are determined to destroy Israel. Iran, although a very poor country, is determined to develop a variety of missiles, ballistic capabilities. There is a threshold of nuclear combined with hydrology, they are determined to destabilise Israel and humiliate Saudi Arabia.”
Further talking about Iran’s attempt to disrupt the entire Middle East, he explained that Iran wants to harm Israelis and other adversaries in Turkey. Although there is no direct evidence to confirm Iran’s direct involvement in these “horrific acts of terror,” it is well-documented that Iran sponsors groups like Hamas, providing significant financial support, weaponry, training, motivation, and indoctrination.
“I mean, Hamas today, in spite of being Sunni, vis-à-vis Iran Shiite, they can be considered now the Horse of Iran, like the Huppies in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said.