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‘Avoid targeting neighbours’: Hamas calls on Iran as war expands in West Asia

‘Avoid targeting neighbours’: Hamas calls on Iran as war expands in West Asia

This video grab taken from handout footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on March 12, 2026, shows what it says was the "launch of wave #41 of Iranian missiles". Photograph: (AFP)

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Hamas urged Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring nations as the West Asia war expands, while backing Tehran’s right to defend itself against the United States and Israel.

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday (Mar 14) called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighbouring nations amid the war in West Asia. The group also affirmed Tehran’s right to defend itself against the United States and Israel. This comes as the war spills to the Gulf nations, with Tehran accusing its neighbours of aiding the US and Israel by allowing them to use their airbases for striking Iran.

“While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries,” Hamas said in a statement.

Earlier, the Palestinian militant group condemned the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of joint US-Israeli strikes in Tehran. Calling the killing a “heinous crime”, Hamas had openly acknowledged Khamenei’s longstanding support for Palestinians.

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“He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance,” Hamas had said.

On February 28, the US and Israeli military launched strikes on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing talks over Iran’s nuclear program. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Azerbaijan.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump has claimed victory in the war with Iran. On Friday (Mar 13), the US forces struck Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export terminal located in the northern Persian Gulf. Trump said that the US was striking military targets on Iran’s “crown jewel”. He added that “for reasons of decency”, he did not “wipe out” the oil infrastructure on the island. He further warned that he would reconsider his decision if Iran interfered with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

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The attack came after Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Thursday (Mar 12) warned the United States and Israel, saying that Tehran will “abandon all restraint” if its islands in the Gulf are attacked.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

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Prajvi Mathur

Prajvi Mathur is a Sub-Editor at WION with over 2 years of experience in journalism and digital content. With a keen interest in geopolitics and national affairs, she covers a wide...Read More