Iran denied any involvement in Hamas’ weekend terror attack on Israel on Monday, pushing back against allegations that the militant group was substantially aided to coordinate such a complex incursion.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations issued a statement denying the Islamic republic played a role after The Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian security officials helped plan the attack. The newspaper cited senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials in its report.
“The resolute measures taken by Palestine constitute a wholly legitimate defense against seven decades of oppressive occupation and heinous crimes committed by the illegitimate Zionist regime,” the Iranian U.N. mission said in a statement, according to the country’s state-run Fars News Agency. “We are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself.”
Tehran has openly praised the assault, which left nearly 1,200 people dead, injured hundreds more, and saw an untold number taken as hostages. On Monday, Hamas said it will begin executing Israeli captives if Israel continues airstrikes on civilian houses in the Gaza Strip without pre-warning.
On Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called on the Muslim world to support Hamas’ attack on the Jewish State.
“Muslim governments must enter the scene along with the Islamic community in supporting the Palestinian people,” Raisi said, according to reports from Iranian media. “The Zionist enemy should also understand that the equation has changed; warmongering is detrimental to the Zionists. The Palestinian people are victorious in this battle.”
While Iran is Hamas’ main financial backer, U.S. officials have said they have not yet seen evidence directly linking Tehran to the militant group’s operation.
“There’s a long relationship between Iran and Hamas,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “In fact, Hamas wouldn’t be Hamas without the support that it’s gotten over many years from Iran.”
“We haven’t yet seen direct evidence that Iran was behind this particular attack … but the support over many years is clear,” he continued. “It’s one of the reasons that over the last couple of years we have been resolutely working against Iran's support for terrorism, for destabilizing actions in other countries.”
Also on Sunday, Blinken told CNN’s “State of the Union” that “no U.S. taxpayer dollars were involved” in the onslaught — countering suggestions that the Biden administration’s deal to release $6 billion in frozen Iran assets helped to fund the operation.
“These were Iranian resources that Iran had accumulated from the sale of its oil that were stuck in a bank in South Korea,” he said. “They have had from day one, under our law, under our sanctions, the right to use these monies for humanitarian purposes — from one account to another in another country to facilitate that use. As of now, not a single dollar has been spent from that account.”
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.