Tehran: During a recent meeting between Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Khamenei declined to engage in a war with Israel. He expressed dissatisfaction, stating that Iran had not been consulted prior to the October 7 attack on Israel.
Sources within Hamas, speaking anonymously to Al-Arabiya News, disclosed that a meeting occurred earlier this month between Supreme Leader Khamenei and Haniyeh.
It was revealed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei conveyed to Ismail Haniyeh that Iran couldn’t support the war as they were not informed beforehand about the attack on Israel.
Despite this, Khamenei pledged to persist in offering political and moral backing to Hamas, refraining from direct involvement.
Additionally, Iran’s Supreme Leader urged Ismail Haniyeh to discourage individuals within the Palestinian movement from openly advocating for Iran and Hezbollah to enter into the conflict with Israel.
As of now, representatives from both Iran and Hamas have neither confirmed nor denied the reported meeting between Ayatollah Khamenei and Ismail Haniyeh, including the details of their conversation.
Recall that on October 7, Hamas initiated an attack on Israel, resulting in the death of 1400 individuals, including soldiers and civilians. Hamas also took approximately 250 Israeli citizens hostage, transporting them to Gaza.
The international community is investigating violations of international laws of war in Gaza, with the United Nations at the forefront.
Initially, Iran praised the attack, and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed military group in Lebanon, initially signaled support. However, subsequent to some operations, there has been no major intervention by Hezbollah. Israel and certain major powers have accused Iran of orchestrating the Hamas attack.
In retaliation to the Hamas attack on October 7, Israeli forces have been continuously bombarding Gaza. Their forces have also entered Gaza, resulting in the death of approximately 12,000 Palestinians, with over 25,000 sustaining injuries. Notably, half of the casualties are comprised of children and women.
