Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Iran's condoning of Hamas' attack on Israel was unacceptable, and that France was looking into whether it was directly involved.
"I have no comment to make about the direct involvement of Iran for which we have no formal proof, but it's clear that the public comments by Iranian authorities were unacceptable... and that it is likely that Hamas was offered help," Macron said.
"But I will remain careful on that point until we have stabilized intelligence," he added in a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Macron and Scholz both emphasized Israel's right to defend itself against attacks on its territory.
"I hope the next days will allow Israel to put an end to any attack against Israel's territory and free the hostages", Macron said.
Iranian authorities immediately ordered celebrations as the attack was unfolding on October 7, and both top officials and state-controlled media praised those involved in the terror attack.
On Tuesday, Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei at a military ceremony declared, “We salute the foreheads and arms of the ingenious and intelligent Palestinian designers and the young people. But those who claim that the recent victory belongs to non-Palestinians have miscalculated.”
There have been media reports of Iran’s direct involvement in preparing the Hamas attack, although governments have so far insisted, they have no definitive evidence.
Asked whether Europe should end all financial aid to Palestinians in response to Hamas' attack on Israel last weekend, Macron declined, saying: "One must not confound the fight against terrorism with the most essential humanitarian rights to support the civilian population."
President Ebrahim Raisi joined Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei in extending his congratulations to Hamas, praising the militants for their "courage, bravery, resistance, and initiative."
Operation Al Aqsa Storm saw hundreds of Hamas militants enter Israel by land, sea and air on Saturday morning, accompanied by a bombardment which has seen more than 900 killed, thousands injured and well over 100 kidnapped into Gaza, including women and children.
Raisi said: "Their resistance in this glorious operation is exemplary. The determination of the young Palestinians has created a great epic and demonstrated that oppressing a nation, displacing people, and occupying their land may last for a while, but it infuriates the oppressed people, and they are no longer willing to endure the oppression. I hope God helps the fighters in liberating their land."
Iran has long supported various Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with the largest beneficiary being Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Islamic Republic denied allegations implicating it in the recent terrorist incursion into Israel, despite Hamas expressing gratitude to Tehran for its support. Naser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asserted that the Palestinians had conducted the attack independently and stressed that accusations against Iran were politically motivated.
Meanwhile, nations including the UK and US have expressed full support for Israel after the surprise assault, the US already giving military support.
Hamas’ attack on Israel has reignited the US Republicans’ charge on the White House.
As the casualties soar and the US ‘adversaries’ smirk, critics of the Biden administration boil in anger and disgust.
“Nine Americans are dead, an unknown number are missing or held hostage, yet President Biden is nowhere to be seen and has nothing to say,” Senator Tom Cotton wrote on X. “He’s totally overmatched by events and paralyzed in a crisis, partly because his own foolish appeasement of Iran fueled a campaign of terror.”
Not surprisingly, Biden’s Iran policy is a common attack line.
The administration’s secret talks in search of an informal nuclear deal with the Iranian regime was never popular in Washington. Releasing $6 billionof frozen assets as part of the ‘prisoner swap’ was even less popular. And hiring someone with deep, longstanding ties with Tehran for a senior role in the Pentagon was almost universally disapproved.
But then came the unprecedented attack on Israel from a group supported by Iran, which took everything to the next level. More than 900 Israelis have been killed in the attacks.
“The Saturday attack was really an Iranian attack on Israel, using Hamas as a surrogate,” opined John Bolton on X. “The Biden Administration should get a spine and pin the blame on Tehran where it belongs.”
John Bolton is no friend of the ayatollahs, of course. He has been pushing for regime change in Iran for two decades at least. But this time his calls may find more willing ears than ever.
There’s no clear evidence that the Iranian regime had a direct role in the attacks on Israel. This is the official line –from both Tehran and Washington. But it seems to have convinced no one.
“The Biden administration hasn’t acknowledged Iran’s involvement in Hamas’s terrorism because it would be an indictment of the administration’s disastrous concessions to Iran,” Senator Cotton again.
And Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State, whom the Islamic Republic reportedly wanted to assassinate: “Make no mistake: this is at its core about historic efforts by Iran to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.”
Pompeo’s remarks could’ve been shrugged off as personal vendetta, had it not been echoed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic himself.
“God willing,” he was quoted on his official X account, “the cancer of the usurper Zionist regime will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people and the Resistance forces throughout the region.”
Some believe the Iranian regime is hoping for another US military entanglement in the Middle East. One involving others, of course. It’s a smart plan. But any miscalculation could prove costly.
As Israeli forces gear up for what seems to be a large-scale ground operation in Gaza, the US is dispatching aircraft carriers to the region.
The Biden administration does not seem to be looking for military confrontation with Iran. But he may have to do something meaningful to fight off the constant accusations of ‘appeasement’ in an election year.
In the past few weeks, the ‘Iran influence scandal’ has further eroded Biden’s shaky approval rates. His administration has done little to address concerns about the US Iran Envoy, Robert Malley, whose security clearance has been taken away while the FBI investigates his ‘handling’ of classified information.
The Republicans see Malley as a promising pressure point. They have been pushing it for a few months now, and they are likely to push it harder after the attack on Israel.
“Biden’s Special Envoy Rob Malley hired and placed Iranian assets in government positions with access to classified information,” wrote Rep. Claudia Tenney on X, “Congress must investigate whether any classified information provided by these Iranian assets was used in planning this horrific invasion of Israel.”
In his first response to Hamas' attacks on Israel, Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei said Israel has faced an irrevocable military and intelligence capabilities defeat.
Khamenei also tried to distance the Islamic Republic from the Hamas operation, saying Tehran had not been involved, and praised the “Palestinians” for preparing the attack. Khamenei said, "we kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime".
“Everyone has acknowledged the defeat, but I emphasize that it is irreparable. I say this devastating earthquake has managed to destroy some of the key structures of the oppressive regime's governance, the reconstruction of which is not easily achievable,” Khamenei stated.
Khamenei made the remarks during a joint ceremony for the graduation of cadets from the military academies at Imam Ali Officer University.
“We salute the foreheads and arms of the ingenious and intelligent Palestinian designers and the young people. But those who claim that the recent victory belongs to non-Palestinians have miscalculated.”
More than 900 Israelis and some 600 Palestinians have been killed amid heavy fighting and bombardment following the surprise terror attack by the Palestinian group Hamas against Israel on Saturday.
“The Zionists brought this calamity upon themselves when their oppression and crimes went beyond all limits, when their insatiable greed reached its peak. They should have expected a storm. What have you done with the Palestinian people!” he noted.
The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have reported that Iran and its Revolutionary Guard were deeply involved in planning and preparing the Hamas attack. A Hamas official and Lebanese Hezbollah sources have confirmed that Tehran assisted the operation.
However, as the supreme leader rang out victory calls, the US has begun sending supplies of air defenses, munitions and security assistance to Israel amidst the ongoing war. General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was a clear sign to other countriesin the region "not to get involved." With Iranian proxies in both Lebanon and Syria, and the ever-looming threats from Iran, the US support is clearly aimed to prevent any party being emboldened to action as the conflict enters day four. On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that it was sending an aircraft carrier strike group closer to Israel. "It sends a very strong message of support for Israel. "We want to send a pretty strong message. We do not want this to broaden, and the idea is for Iran to get that message loud and clear," Brown added. The IDF spokesman, Richard Hecht, referenced the collaboration in the Tuesday media briefing, saying "the fact that the American support is coming through sends a message in further places to stay out of this".
President Ebrahim Raisi in separate remarks, joined Khamenei in extending his congratulations to Hamas, praising the militants for their "courage, bravery, resistance, and initiative."
Iranian regime officials continue to express their commitment to providing further assistance to their proxies in the wake of Hamas' bloody attack on Israel.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said on Tuesday, "The issue of Palestine holds great significance in the Muslim world ...we are actively engaging in discussions with parliamentary leaders from Muslim countries to extend support to Palestine."
He went on to affirm, "There is no doubt that we will stand by them in realizing the aspirations of the Palestinian people and taking the necessary measures."
Iran has supported various Palestinian militant groups over the years including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al Qassem Brigades and more recently, a faction known as Lions Den. The biggest recipient of Iranian aid is Hamas which controls the Gaza strip. The former US Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt has claimed Iran gave around $100m in aid each year to the terror group in addition to the provision of weaponry and financial resources for its operations.
On Monday, the Islamic Republic rejected allegations suggesting its involvement in the recent terrorist incursion into Israel, despite Hamas representatives expressing gratitude to Tehran for its support. Naser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed that the Palestinians had launched the attack independently, stressing that the accusations against Iran were politically motivated.
However, Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad revealed to the BBC on Sunday that Iran had indeed provided support to the Palestinian militant group for its surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. In another public statement, a senior member of the Al Qassem Brigades, Hamas's military wing, publicly thanked Iran for its support on Telegram.
Russia launched 36 Iranian drones on Ukraine, Ukraine's Air Force said on Tuesday, adding that its air defense systems destroyed 27 of the air weapons.
The attacks with the Iran-made Shahed drones targeted the Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, the Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app. The attack on Odesa Oblast lasted for three hours, with transport infrastructure targeted.
On Oct. 8, the Air Force's spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said Russia will likely launch a record number of the Iranian-made drones in the coming fall and winter months.
The official pointed out that Russian forces launched over 500 Shahed-type drones in attacks against Ukraine in September alone.
Kherson region's administration said on its Telegram channel that over the past day, Russia carried out 79 instances of shelling including from mortars, artillery and with the use of drones, injuring four people and damaging several buildings.
Iran has supplied hundreds of the kamikaze Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to Russia since mid-2022, which Moscow has used extensively to target civilian infrastructure and cities.
The drones are also used during massive missile attacks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. The drones are relatively cheap, costing around $20,000 each and Ukraine sometimes has to fire much more expensive anti-air missiles to bring them down.
Although Iran has been denying its supply of drones, and possibly other weapons to Russia, the United States and its NATO allies have imposed a series of sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the drone shipments.
