Washington

Iran’s elite Quds Force gave specialised military training to 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in the weeks leading up to the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has claimed in a report.

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Citing ‘people familiar with intelligence related to the assault’, the US-based newspaper claimed that the militants were trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards' elite forces in Iran in September.

The report noted that the modus operandi of Hamas was similar to the techniques used by the Iranian paramilitary groups.

The terrorists had paraglided into southern Israel after disabling Israeli observation posts in drone strikes, while some rode in on motorcycles—techniques commonly used by Iranian paramilitary groups, and not seen among Hamas till now, the WSJ report claimed.

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US and Israel long suspected Iran's role

US and Israel have long accused Iran of helping Hamas to launch terror attacks that left more than 1,500 Israelis dead and over 200 taken as hostages.

But US officials have said they have no evidence that Iran was involved in the planning or execution

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“Before the war, Iran directly assisted Hamas with money, training and weapons and technological know-how,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told Times of Israel on Tuesday (Oct 24). “Even now, Iran is helping Hamas with intelligence.”

Tehran, which lauded the attack, has denied its involvement. Iran’s mission to the United Nations issued a statement calling the attack “fiercely autonomous and unwaveringly aligned with the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people.”

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly praised the massacre while at the same time denied the country’s role in the attack.

“We kiss the foreheads and arms of the resourceful and intelligent designers,” Khamenei said.

But he added: “Those who say that the recent saga is the work of non-Palestinians have miscalculated.”

Iran funds Hamas 

Israel claims that Iran supports Hamas to the tune of around $100 million dollars a year.

Also read | Israel-Hamas war: Ground invasion looming? Israel asks Google to disable live traffic maps in Gaza

In 2021, the US State Department said that the group receives funding, weapons, and training from Iran, as well as some funds that are raised in Gulf Arab countries.

Also read | Israel stops UN staff visas after Antonio Guterres is branded 'terror apologist' for his Hamas remarks

Apart from Hamas, Iran has strong ties to Lebanon’s Shia armed group Hezbollah.

Tehran has often boasted about an ironclad security coordination with Palestinian Islamist groups.

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)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.