Iran Says It Empowers Palestinian Fighters For Operations Against Israel
Iranian regime-sponsored street celebrations in Tehran after Hamas attack on Israel (October 2023)
The Iranian mission to the United Nations has acknowledged that Tehran has provided Palestinian fighters with the necessary skills to carry out operations against Israel.
However, that Iran was not directly involved in the devastating Hamas infiltration attack that occurred over the weekend.
the mission told The Newsweek on Tuesday
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, praising the Hamas attack, has denied Tehran's involvement. Over 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians were killed, and the operation has led to a significant Israeli military response in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians.
On Tuesday, the Iranian mission to the UN echoed Khamenei's statements while recognizing that Tehran has empowered Palestinian armed groups to launch attacks against Israel. The mission stated,” We have supported Palestinian fighters in acquiring fishing skills…They independently determine when, where, and how to engage in fishing according to their very own needs and interests."
The mission alleged that reports of direct Iranian involvement are intended to identify "a scapegoat to shift the blame.".
Khamenei mentioned on Tuesday that Israel and its supporters have been spreading rumors, including the claim that Islamic Iran was behind the action, which he refuted.
Hamas initially confirmed direct support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah for its infiltration attack but later revised its statement to suggest broader backing from Tehran, though not direct operational assistance. Both US and Israeli officials have also stated that so far there is no evidence of Iran taking an active role in the attack.
An advisor to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Islamic Republic stands by anyone who fights against Israel, even if that person is a porn star.
Abdolreza Davari, a former confidant of Ahmadinejad said in a message on X social platform “We stand by anyone who fights against Israel, even if that person is Mia Khalifa, a former porn star, who has now cleansed her record of [moral] corruption through her explicit support for the oppressed Palestinian people and her struggle against the crimes of the Zionists.”
Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American media personality and former adult film actress and webcam model. Born and raised in Lebanon, she and her family relocated to the United States in 2001. Her choice of career sparked controversy in the Arab world and beyond, particularly after the release of a video in which she appeared in a sex video while wearing a hijab. The scene brought her both immediate fame and criticism from writers and religious figures. In 2015, Khalifa was named the "Number 1 Porn Star" on Pornhub.
Khalifa has faced various controversies over her opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After the Hamas attack on Israel, she received backlash for a post on X in which she encouraged Palestinian militants to "flip their phones and film horizontally" after several videos emerged depicting Israeli civilians being killed. As a result, Playboy ended its association with Khalifa, and the Canadian broadcasting company Red Light Holland also terminated their contract with her.
Israel has announced its intention to escalate its response following the recent terror attack by Hamas, even preparing for the possibility of a ground offensive.
In sustained air strikes, Israel targeted more than 200 locations within a Gaza City neighborhood that Hamas had reportedly been using as launch sites for their attacks. The Gaza health ministry reported at least 950 fatalities and 5,000 injuries in the densely populated enclave.
Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7 has resulted in over 1,200 Israeli casualties, primarily among civilians. Some individuals were taken hostage and paraded through Gaza's streets. Hamas issued threats to execute Israeli captives in response to each Gaza home struck, but it remained uncertain if these threats were carried out.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made a commitment to bring "significant changes to Gaza," hinting at the possibility of a ground offensive. Report say that more than 1,000 gunmen from Gaza were killed.
Reports also emerged of rocket fire originating from Lebanon and Syrian territory towards Israel, raising concerns about the conflict's potential expansion. Israeli forces responded with retaliatory actions.
"We do not yet know if these rockets were fired by the Syrian armed forces, by any of the many Iranian militias that exist and are welcomed by the Syrian regime, or Hezbollah or any other action," said Israel's Lieutenant Colonel Conricus.
"What we do know is that we retaliated fire toward the sources of fire, and currently the situation there is quiet."
With the escalating violence, numerous countries undertook efforts to evacuate their stranded citizens due to flight cancellations.
The conflict also spilled over into the West Bank and East Jerusalem, leading to casualties and injuries among Palestinians involved in clashes with Israeli forces.
The wording of a joint statement of world leaders condemning Hamas's war against Israel, has mysteriously removed mention of Iran.
According to copies of documents obtained by Iran International, in the first drafts of the press release from the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the US, it had clearly sent a message to Iran to stay out of the fray.
It stated: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further call on other extremist groups, and any state that may seek to take advantage of such a situation, and in particular Iran, not to seek to exploit this situation for other ends, or to spread the conflict beyond Gaza.”
However, just hours later, when the final statements went out from President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States, the reference to the Iranian regime had disappeared.
It comes as fingers are pointing at Iran for Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Saturday morning which since it began, has seen over 1,200 Israelis dead, more than 2,000 seriously wounded, and dozens taken hostage to Gaza.
As the days go by, more revelations expose the brutality of the assault which has seen babies beheaded, elderly women taken hostage, and young women raped and burnt alive in the streets. Retaliation from Israel has seen Gaza slowly razed, key members of the terror network assassinated and huge swathes of the enclave crushed. Hundreds have already died.
While there is no conclusive evidence as to the involvement of Iran in the worst offensive against the Jewish state in 50 years, Hamas is its biggest Palestinian proxy, receiving at least $100m a year in addition to military support and training. High level leaders of Iran’s Palestinian proxies have also had multiple meetings in recent weeks orchestrated and hosted by Tehran.
The latest statement of the world leaders instead read on Tuesday: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasise that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”
The US has moved aircraft carriers into the Mediterranean as a clear deterrent to Iran not to escalate matters, from its proxies in Syria and Lebanon or its own soil.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader and President led the charge to sing out praise for the Hamas operation, General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said its moving support into the region was a clear warning to other countries, namely Iran’s proxies, ”not to get involved."
"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 said on Monday, naming Iran in no uncertain terms.
The group of world leaders in the latest show of support released on Tuesday, expressed its “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism”, adding that its actions have “no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned”, contrary to the regime rhetoric that Israel’s “occupation” has led to the current situation.
“In recent days, the world has watched in horror as Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes, slaughtered over 200 young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women, children, and entire families, who are now being held as hostages,” the group said, while recognising what it called “the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people”.
“But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed,” it added.
On Wednesday, missiles were fired once again into Israel from Lebanon, the IDF responded with artillery fire. While Hezbollah continues to claim responsibility, the IDF Tuesday morning claimed the group responsible for the hostilities of recent days was Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also backed by Tehran.
Fresh clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah along the shared border on Wednesday signified the danger of a widening war in the region.
Israeli shelling hit southern Lebanese towns in response to a fresh rocket attack by powerful armed group Hezbollah, as cross-border violence extended into a fourth day.
Hezbollah said it had fired precision missiles at an Israeli position in response to the killing of its members in Israeli shelling earlier this week, pledging "decisive" responses to attacks on Lebanese territory, especially deadly ones.
The Israeli military said it was attacking Lebanon after one of its northern positions near the Israeli town of Arab al-Aramshe was targeted with anti-tank fire on Wednesday.
It did not immediately provide details on casualties.
A Lebanese security source said Hezbollah fired two precision missiles into Israel, which the group considers its sworn enemy.
Residents of the southern Lebanese town of Rmeish said Israeli shelling hit nearby. A security source told Reuters that Israeli artillery rounds were hitting the rocket launch point around Dhayra, across from Arab al-Aramshe.
Local Lebanese television station al-Jadeed broadcast images of plumes of white smoke billowing out of a wooded region near some homes and farmland in Dhayra.
Hezbollah and Palestinian faction Hamas both claimed attacks from Lebanon on Tuesday. Lebanon's Hezbollah fired a guided missile at an Israeli tank, posting a video of its destruction, and Hamas said it launched a salvo of rockets into Israel.
The outbreak of violence along the border came after Hamas launched a deadly attack against Israel at the weekend, with Israel unleashing a bombing campaign against Gaza.
Amid the systematic persecution of Iran's Baha'i community by the Islamic Republic, four citizens have been collectively handed a 12-year prison sentence.
Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Ataollah Zafar, and Valiollah Ghadamian received individual prison terms of five, three, and two years, respectively. The charges levied against them were related to "membership in illegal groups and associations with the intent of undermining national security," as reported by the US-based human rights advocacy group HRANA on Wednesday.
The Baha'i community is the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran loathed by the Shiite clerics and systematically persecuted since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.
Earlier this year, they had received five-year prison sentences in a court, based on allegations linked to their faith.
Last week, the UK Foreign Office issued a statement stressing the immediate need to cease the harassment and persecution of the Baha'i community by the Islamic Republic. The UK government deemed the ongoing mistreatment of Baha'is as “unacceptable” and called upon the Iranian government to release all Baha'i prisoners, especially those who are elderly, require medical attention, or are in vulnerable situations.
The UK also underscored the importance of the judiciary refraining from imposing excessive bails on Baha'i detainees.
Since September 26, at least eight Baha'i citizens have been apprehended in Shiraz and Yazd. In August, the Baha'i International Community released a statement highlighting the continued suppression of Baha'is, including the arrests of approximately 60 Baha'is and the confiscation of properties belonging to 59 other Baha'is.
The United States House of Representatives also passed a resolution condemning the harassment of Baha'is by the Iranian government. The resolution called for the release of Baha'i prisoners and other individuals detained due to their religious beliefs.
