(NewsNation) — Hundreds of Hamas militants underwent specialized combat training in Iran in the weeks leading up to the terror organization’s Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.
Iran has longstanding ties to Hamas — a 2020-2021 U.S. State Department report revealed that Hamas received funding, weapons and training from Iran. On Wednesday, the Israeli government accused Iran of being involved in the attacks earlier this month.
“Iran helped Hamas before the war directly,” said Israel Defense Forces Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “Training, weapons, money, technological know-how … even at these moments Iranian aid to Hamas continues in intelligence, encouragement and incitement against the state of Israel.”
Citing people familiar with intelligence related to the attack, The Wall Street Journal reports that approximately 500 Hamas fighters received training in Iran before the attacks. The outlet reports that the training, which occurred in September, was led by officers from the Quds Force, which specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
“What we are seeing is what the U.S. and Israel have known for years is that Iran has been directly complicit in funding, training, financing, arming and allowing these groups to plan and conduct terrorist operations throughout the region if not the world,” said Kirk Lippold, former commander of the USS Cole, damaged by a terrorist attack in Yemen in 2000.
“Tehran continues to furnish weapons, funding and training to surrogates across the globe who engage in heinous acts of terror,” said Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn.
The direct correlation is unsurprising, as just last year, the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, publicly stated that the terrorist organization received $70 million in assistance from Iran.
“What we need to do is let the American people know just how much Iran was involved in the slaughter by Hamas of Israeli citizens and Americans as well because we cannot let this go unanswered,” Lippold said.
Not everyone considers Hamas a terrorist organization, including a member of NATO.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a liberation group, ‘mujahedeen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday while addressing his country’s parliament.
Iran has kept some distance from the war between Israel and Hamas, but Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday that Israel is taking revenge on defenseless and oppressed people and that the fighters continue to be ready to take action.