Report: 500 Terrorists Received Training in Iran
Per the Washington Post report, Iran offered military training last month to 500 Palestinian militants involved in the October 7 attack. While it’s unclear if Iran ordered the assault on Israel, the Israeli government officials who spoke to the Washington Post said Tehran’s move to train militants reflects its years-long goal to surround the Jewish nation with highly skilled terrorists capable of executing deadly attacks.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have historically operated independently, but over the past few years, the terror groups have benefited massively from Iran. Besides military training, the Gaza-based criminal organizations have been receiving financial help and weapons from Tehran.
Iran Linked to Attack on Israel
While the interviewed Israeli officials did not explicitly link Iran to the latest Hamas attack that left over 1,000 people dead, a Western intelligence official told the Washington Post that if Iran trained and issued weapons to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, then it expected the two terror groups to put their acquired skills and weapons into practice eventually.
A few days after Hamas assaulted Israel, Iran said it welcomed the actions of the terror group but denied involvement. However, the Washington Post’s latest report indicates that the Iranian head of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, oversaw the training of the Palestinian terrorists, which was taught by Iran’s IRGC (Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps).
Before the Washington Post’s report was released, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday that the Israeli government had intelligence about Iran aiding Hamas with weapons, training, and money to help the group execute a successful attack on Israel.
Antony Blinken and Saeid Iravani Involved in Heated Exchange
On Tuesday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke at the UN Secretary Council meeting, where he said that although the US government didn’t have proof of Iran’s involvement in the assault on Israel, it was evident that Tehran has supported terror groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas over the years.
In response, Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, called out Blinken for trying to blame Iran for the attack without evidence. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the US was directing airstrikes the IDF has been launching on Gaza.
