The heads of the two leading Palestinian groups at war with Israel have praised Iran’s role in an increasingly international conflict over the Gaza Strip in talks with Tehran’s top authority.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held back-to-back meetings in recent days with Ismail Haniyeh, chair of the Hamas movement’s Political Bureau, and Ziyad al-Nakhala, secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, in Tehran. Both Palestinian leaders conveyed their gratitude for the support shown by the Islamic Republic since a Hamas-led coalition of armed Palestinian factions led an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the deadliest flare-up to date of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During Haniyeh’s meeting on Monday, the Hamas chief took aim at not only Israel but also the United States for supporting its ally throughout the conflict, asserting that, “the war in Gaza is a world war and the U.S. governing body is the main accomplice of the Zionist crimes as it is in charge of guiding the military operations of the Zionist regime,” Khamenei’s office said in a readout.
Nakhala, for his part, compared the conflict to the 7th century Battle of Karbala in modern-day Iraq, an event that holds particular significance to Shiite Muslims to this day, during his talks with Khamenei on Wednesday.
“Despite facing numerous difficulties and conspiracies, the people of Gaza have displayed an unparalleled steadfastness alongside the Resistance forces,” Nakhala was cited by Khamenei’s office as saying. “Together, they have successfully foiled the plots devised by the U.S., the Zionist regime, and their supporters to dismantle the Resistance.”
With Khamenei lauding the Gaza-based movements for having “turned Palestine to the world’s first issue,” the talks showcased Iran’s efforts to bridge the Sunni-Shiite divide in line with the broader “Axis of Resistance” coalition, as well as Tehran’s leading role in the multi-front war in the Middle East.
Khamenei’s office also took to social media to broadcast the Iranian supreme leader’s comments following the meetings.
“The peak of dignity and steadfastness of the people of Gaza and Palestine and the failure of the Zionist regime in this 6-month war is a divine occurrence and phenomenon,” Khamenei’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote Wednesday.
“The Zionist regime’s continuing to kill women and children despite all the military equipment and support it receives from the world’s oppressive powers is proof that regime is unable to counter and defeat the Resistance forces.”
“Up until now, the Resistance forces and the people of Gaza are the winners in the battlefield,” the post said. “With God’s grace, you will see the ultimate victory of the people of Gaza.”
U.S. and Israeli officials have both accused Iran of providing not only political but also material backing to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as other militias abroad such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, and an array of forces in Iraq and Syria.
U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have also come under fire in recent months, with President Joe Biden ordering an intensive round of airstrikes last month against groups said to be tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the two countries. Other airstrikes against alleged Iran-aligned targets in Syria have been attributed to the IDF.
Iranian officials have acknowledged support for Axis of Resistance groups in the region but have distanced themselves from any direct tactical links.
Meanwhile, battles continued to rage on the ground in Gaza, with Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades claiming new operations Wednesday against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which has advanced across the Palestinian territory.
The IDF and units of the Israel Security Agency (ISA), also called Shin Bet, announced on Wednesday new operations in the areas of Shifa Hospital and Al-Amal in Khan Younis, targeting “terrorists” and “terrorist infrastructure,” including arms caches and explosive devices. The Commando Brigade, the Maglan Commando Unit and the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit were said to be among the forces involved in clashes in the areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press on with the historic offensive until his goals of delivering a decisive defeat to Hamas, rescuing up to 134 hostages, and neutralizing the threat posed by Gaza to Israel were achieved. His administration has vehemently denied accusations that it targeted civilians and has argued that innocent lives were deliberately being put at risk by Hamas, which has rejected the claim.
The IDF also published footage Wednesday of what it alleged to be a captured member of Islamic Jihad admitting to committing sexual assault against an Israeli woman during the initial October 7 attacks. Palestinian factions have denied engaging in such abuses.
As the war approaches the half-year mark early next month, the conflict has taken on an international dimension even beyond the frontlines across five nations. Nations in the region and beyond, including the U.S. and China, have mobilized diplomatically to seek an end to the fighting and to provide assistance in an attempt to alleviate a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
With pressure mounting for a ceasefire, the U.S. shifted its position on Monday of vetoing ceasefire calls at the United Nations Security Council, instead allowing a resolution demanding a cessation of hostilities throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to pass through Washington’s abstention.
The move appeared to deepen a growing rift between the U.S. and Israel as ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar continue to falter and President Joe Biden’s administration warns against a looming IDF offensive in Rafah. The southern Gaza Strip city is believed to host more than one million civilians who have fled fighting elsewhere in the densely populated territory.
After Netanyahu recently declared his intention to enter Rafah with or without Washington’s support, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller warned on Wednesday such an incursion would be a “mistake” with “enormous” consequences.
Source » newsweek