Iran’s Quds Force reportedly imparted specialised training to at least 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants as recently as in September, reported Wall Street Journal on Wednesday (Oct 25).
IRGC’s elite forces trained the Jihadis in Iran up to a month before the deadly assault of October 7, which saw more than 1,000 Israelis and foreign nationals killed.
The report noted that several top Iranian and Hamas leaders attended the joint drills, including the Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani.
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Iran’s role in Hamas’ assault
Earlier, the WSJ reported that Iranian security officials assisted Hamas in launching the deadly assault on the Jewish nation. In fact, the green light also came from Tehran during a meeting in Beirut just days before the attack.
“Details of the operation were refined during several meetings in Beirut attended by IRGC officers and representatives of four Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas, which holds power in Gaza, and Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group and political faction in Lebanon,” WSJ reported citing members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
USA’s denial
Despite these reports hinting at the direct involvement of the Iranian regime in the Hamas’ assault, US officials maintain they don’t have enough evidence to believe Tehran had any role to play.
“We don’t have any information at this time to corroborate this account,” said a top US official.
Watch: Israel to flood Hamas’ hostage tunnels
In an interview with CNN that aired previously, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We have not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there is certainly a long relationship.”
Statement by Hamas and Iran
Hamas claims it planned the attack on its own, without any support from a foreign player.
Mahmoud Mirdawi, a senior Hamas official, said, “This is a Palestinian and Hamas decision.”
Iran also made clear that it stood by Hamas’ actions but didn’t direct them.
“The decisions made by the Palestinian resistance are fiercely autonomous and unwaveringly aligned with the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people,” a spokesman for the Iranian mission at the UN said. “We are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
