Iran Supported Hamas in Attack Against Israel | WSJ

(airstrike explodes) – The Gaza National Bank was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday as fighting continues in Israel and Gaza. (airstrike explodes) More than 700 Israelis have been confirmed dead, and 560 Palestinians have been killed after Hamas, a militant group from Gaza, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend. Hamas worked with Iranian security officials to plan the attack according to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed militant group. Western leaders have denounced Saturday’s assault and offered support to Israel. – I’ve just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to assure him of the

UK’s steadfast support as Israel defends itself against these appalling attacks. – Iranian security officials helped Hamas plan a surprise attack on Israel, senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah said. The green light for the attack, which included air, land, and sea incursions was given at a meeting in Beirut last week. A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the UN said Iran stood in support of Gaza’s actions, but didn’t direct them. – Hamas is considered a proxy group of Iran. The exact nature of how much Hamas is being led by Iran has always been unclear, but of course,

they receive a lot of their funding from Iran, a lot of their training from Iran, and a lot of their weapons from Iran. That is according to Israeli officials

here in Israel. – The planning for the operation began in August. According to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, the direct Iranian involvement could raise the risk of a broader conflict in the Middle East. US officials say they haven’t seen evidence of Tehran’s involvement. – There’s a long relationship between Iran and Hamas. In fact, Hamas wouldn’t be around in the way that it is without the support

that it’s received from Iran over the years. In this specific instance, we have not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there’s certainly a long relationship. – On Sunday, more than 250 people were found dead at a music festival in Israel according to Israeli state broadcaster Kan. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appointed a general to coordinate search efforts for captured and missing Israelis. The mother of a missing woman described a phone call from her daughter during the attack. – At 10 o’clock, she called us and said, “Mommy, we will

go.” They shot at us. The car was shot. We cannot drive. Everybody here is hurt. There were four kids in the room of kids. They were 23, 25, 30. Everybody was shocked, they were bleeding. – Since the conflict began, world leaders have been speaking out, largely condemning the attacks on Israel. The United States said it would send additional military assistance to Israel, including equipment and weaponry. The US also plans to move a carrier strike group closer to to Israel Shores and Air Force Jet Fighter squadrons towards its skies, (airplane engine roaring) a move that signals

its support and aims to deter Iran from taking advantage of the uncertainty in the region. A Hamas spokesperson said the decision to deploy an aircraft carrier near Israel by the US is participation in the aggression against our people. – The US is sending one of its largest aircraft carriers to the region, and it’s very clear. But that’s a message to, it’s not a message to Hamas. It’s not a message to Gaza, that’s very clear. It’s most likely, of course, they do not say this publicly. This is a message to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The biggest fear

in Israel really is that Hezbollah, which is a militant group, far stronger than Hamas, has the means to really wreak havoc in Israel that they could enter this war any day. Hezbollah is trying to deter Israel from invading Gaza from creating a ground invasion into Gaza. And on the other hand, Israel and now the United States are trying to deter Hezbollah from joining this war. – The Israeli military said that as many as 1,000 Hamas militants entered Israel from Gaza over the weekend, many of whom were armed. – The Israeli military is preparing the ground

in Gaza for an invasion, for a ground invasion. They’ve cleared the communities around the Gaza border, not only because it’s not safe for them there, but in order to have freedom of operational movement in that area. They have not declared that they will do it, but they’re making very clear preparations that they will do it. And if you listen here to the politicians here in Israel, many of them are talking about removing Hamas entirely from the equation. There’s only one way to do that, and that’s a ground assault. That will take a very long time

to do. It will be a very difficult and bloody battle.