Iran’s involvement in helping coordinate Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel may have begun over a year ago — far earlier than previously known, according to a report.
Dating back to 2022, a close group of leaders from Iran, Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah and Hamas collaborated and assisted in training the Palestinian terrorists that would carry out the unprecedented raid on Israeli settlements near the Gaza Strip, according to the New York Times.
The group of leaders had “advanced knowledge” of the barbaric attack, the outlet notes, citing Iranians affiliated with the infamous Revolutionary Guards Corps and senior leadership and a Syrian affiliated with Hezbollah.
The new information was gleaned from captured Hamas terrorists who, after interrogation, revealed that they had been training for the attack for a year, Israeli defense officials told the New York Times.
The Hamas terrorists were trained by elite members of Hezbollah – adept at urban guerilla warfare tactics – in Syria and at a secret joint command center set up in Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut, Iranians and Syrians familiar with the plotting told the outlet.
As part of their training, the jihadists received instruction on paragliding and hostage taking from Hezbollah terrorists.
General Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, takes part in an anti-Israel rally before the Friday prayers on Oct. 13, in Tehran.ZUMAPRESS.com
Israel was aware that Hamas terrorists had been using Hezbollah sites in Syria and Lebanon as a training ground for years, according to the report, but not specifically for last Saturday’s attack.
Hezbollah is a terrorist group funded by Iran and based in Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border.
Hamas is a political organization and terrorist group, also funded by Iran, that controls the Gaza Strip — a narrow sliver of land that lies between Israel and Egypt. Members of its Qassam Brigade carried out Saturday’s attack.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the US, and other countries around the world.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. AP
Efforts at unifying and encouraging cooperation between the two terrorist groups have been spearheaded by the head of Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force, Gen. Esmail Ghaani, who over the past year has repeatedly traveled to Lebanon for secret meetings with Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, according to the New York Times.
Possibly spurred by Ghaani’s efforts, in March, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, held a virtual meeting with strategists from all of the terror groups backed by Iran, during which he discussed a ground invasion of Israel and prepared the jihadist attendees for the possibility of war, according to the report.
Israeli and US officials say they have not yet found evidence directly linking Iran to Saturday’s attack.
“The implementation was all Hamas, but we do not deny Iran’s help and support,” Ali Barakeh, a senior Hamas official, told the outlet, suggesting Iran was not deeply involved in the planning of the attack.
A Palestinian takes part in the funeral of 19-year-old Ahmed Al-Awawda, who was killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the Nablus area of the occupied West Bank on Oct. 8, 2023.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
An Israeli intelligence official cautioned that while Iranian officials may have been aware of joint-training by Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, it does not necessarily mean that Tehran was aware of the specific attack they were training for, according to the report.
An Iranian briefed on the operation told the outlet that four days before the attack, participants were forced into isolation by Hamas commanders and had their electronic devices confiscated.
They were only told the specifics of their mission – storming Israel by land, air and sea – by commanders just hours before the attack.
The report comes after the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Iranian security officials not only helped Hamas plan its sneak attack on Israel, but also gave it the final go-ahead at a meeting last Monday in Beirut.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, held a virtual meeting with strategists from all of the terror groups backed by Iran, during which he discussed a ground invasion of Israel and prepared the jihadist attendees for the possibility of war.Getty Images
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the US, and other countries around the world.REUTERS
That report noted that Iran’s involvement in plotting the attack with Hamas dates back to August.
The attack left 1,300 Israelis dead, including women, children and the elderly, and the Jewish state has since declared war on Hamas – launching rockets into Gaza as it prepares for a possible ground invasion.
Hundreds of Israelis, and some Americans, were also kidnapped during the Hamas invasion and taken back to Gaza with their terrorist captors.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/10/13/iran-began-collaborating-with-hezbollah-and-hamas-on-israel-attack-plan-over-a-year-ago/