Iran’s Regime Ramps Up Support For Regional Proxies, Threatening U.S. And Israel Across The Middle East

(New York, N.Y.)In the wake of the October 7 massacre, where over 1,400 Israeli individuals were killed by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, Tehran’s support for Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has come under increasing scrutiny as intelligence agencies work to ascertain the extent of the regime’s role in the attack. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s resources track the headlines and the trendlines of this activity.

Hamas has served as the Iranian regime’s most important Palestinian partner for over two decades. The military ties between them have encompassed intelligence sharing, provision of arms, organizing, and training. Much of this support has been channeled through Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Iranian regime has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in military and financial aid to Hamas since the 1990s.

As evidence of the close relationship, regime officials quickly congratulated Hamas for the October 7 massacre. They dispatched Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, an IRGC Quds Force affiliate, to Doha, Qatar. There, he met with and congratulated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is protected by the Qatari regime.

Haniyeh, known for his close ties to the IRGC, has previously spoken at the funeral of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, describing him as a “martyr of Jerusalem.” The Wall Street Journal reported last week that roughly 500 Hamas and PIJ terrorists traveled to Iran earlier this year and participated in a specialized combat training led by IRGC members and attended by IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani.

Without fearing direct consequences, the Iranian regime is deliberately escalating tensions with Israeli and U.S. forces in the Middle East through its proxies. This escalation risks widening the conflict across the region. Last week, the U.S., for the first time since the October 7 terrorist attacks, targeted IRGC positions in Syria. The Biden administration must continue to deter Iran’s regime and its network of terrorist militias.

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