Iran has dismissed unfounded allegations that it participated in the massive assault on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas.
“The accusations linked to an Iranian role… are based on political reasons,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters.
Kanani said the Islamic Republic of Iran did not and does not intervene “in the decision-making of other countries, including Palestine.”
Iran, which does not recognise Israel and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was one of the first countries to hail Hamas’s devastating surprise assault on Saturday.
The Palestinians had “the necessary capacity and will to defend their nation and recover their rights” without any help from Tehran, Kanani said.
“Talking about an Iranian role aims at turning public opinion (away from the facts) and at justifying the potential future actions” of Israel, the spokesman added.
The Wall Street Journal reported that “Iranian security officials helped plan Hamas’s Saturday surprise attack on Israel and gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut last Monday,” citing senior members of Hamas and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Great job on this article! It was engaging and informative, making complex ideas accessible. I’m eager to hear different viewpoints. Click on my nickname for more interesting content.