Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force head Esmail Ghaani spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh over the weekend and they discussed the latest developments in the situation and the conflict in Gaza. Tasnim news reported the discussion in Iran.
It comes amid an Iranian regional push to support Hamas, including pro-Iran leader Hadi al-Amiri in Iraq indicating his support for Hamas. Turkey and Iranian-backed Houthis and Hezbollah also support the Hamas war against Israel.
The press release about Ghaani being in touch with Hamas senior leadership comes days after Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal also spoke to Turkish media and was quoted in Iranian media about Hamas strategy.
What is important here is that the conversation with Ghaani comes as Iranian media published a unique look at Israel’s air defense systems, asserting that Israel is showing new vulnerabilities. Iran’s Tasnim argued on Saturday that the Iron Dome system is vulnerable to large barrages of rocket fire.
Hamas has conducted unprecedented large volume of rocket fire, up to 135 rockets in five minutes, during this campaign. Hamas is driving the tempo of the war against Israel. Hezbollah is watching. Reports indicate Hezbollah could fire 2,000 rockets a day at Israel in a future war.
Iran may have revealed the blueprint Hamas is using.
Ghaani’s discussions with Haniyeh included public comments where the IRGC commander, who replaced the late Qasem Soleimani in 2020, “reiterated the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Palestinian nation and the Palestinian resistance in the face of the incessant aggression and crimes of the Zionist enemy against Jerusalem and Gaza,” Tasnim noted.
Ghaani praised Hamas in its performance so far. He condemned Israel’s “brutal crimes” and “he praised the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in support of the nation and the just cause of Palestine.” The overall context of this is that a week ago Iran’s IRGC head Hossein Salami warned that Israel could be cut off via maritime attacks and claimed that a large tactical operation could harm Israel because Israel is such a small country.
A senior commander of the IRGC also said that the “Zionist regime of Israel is caught off guard and fully encircled by the resistance front,” according to Press TV reports. “Incidents over the past days in the occupied territories well displayed the resistance [front]’s capability in confronting the Zionists’ military power and revealed the Zionist regime’s faulted defense system,” the IRGC deputy commander for political affairs, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, said on Saturday. Iran is watching closely and likely advising Hamas on its tactics.
“The Zionist regime is under pressure both from inside the occupied territories and from international public opinion, he added, noting that the situation is changed in favor of Palestine and the resistance front,” Press TV said. “The Zionist regime has no capability at all to change the situation in its own favor, and based on realities on the ground, the process of the Zionists’ decline has gained momentum,” the IRGC commander said.
Hamas has launched unprecedented barrages of 130 rockets fired over several minutes targeting Ashkelon and other Israeli cities. Some of the rockets are getting through and hitting the cities and killing people. Iran is watching and so is Hezbollah.
On May 13, Iran military chief Mohammed Baqeri said that there was a shift in the balance of power in the region and Israel is losing.
Iran says Hamas is targeting Iron Dome batteries and Israeli infrastructure such as chemical factories. Iran also highlights how Hamas has targeted Israel’s airports. Hamas says it has rockets to keep up the war for six months.
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