By Aaron Klein
TEL AVIV — Iran has been pushing Gazan jihadist groups to continue firing rockets into Israel, Egyptian security officials told KleinOnline.
Egyptian intelligence officials have been mediating between Israel and Hamas in an attempt to restore calm on the Israel-Gaza border.
Egyptian officials involved in the talks say that Hamas has been trying to halt the rocket fire coming from Iranian-sponsored Gazan groups, including Islamic Jihad.
The Egyptian officials say Hamas asked them to press Islamic Jihad on a ceasefire, complaining that Iran has been pressuring Islamic Jihad into escalating the rocket attacks.
KleinOnline reported last December on Iran’s stepped-up financing and arming of Islamic Jihad and other Gazan groups to make up for the possible loss of Hamas as a proxy.
Citing Hamas sources, KleinOnline specifically reported at the time the jihadist group has been asked by the Egyptian military to stay out of any future confrontation between Israel and Iran.
For the first time in recent years, Hamas, feeling confident from major Muslim Brotherhood gains in the region, is considering distancing itself somewhat from Iran, the sources said.
Just last week, senior Hamas member Salah Bardawil said in a widely published interview that Hamas “will not do Iran’s bidding in any war with Israel, and will not launch rockets at Israel at Tehran’s request.”
“If there is a war between two powers, Hamas will not be part of such a war,” Bardawil was quoted as saying. “Hamas is not part of military alliances in the region. Our strategy is to defend our rights.”
Rocket fire continued today with more than 40 rockets fired at Israel.Two of the rockets fired exploded near Gedera, just 24 miles south of Tel Aviv.
The violence began Friday when the Israel Air Force launched a strike in Gaza that killed the leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, Zuhir al-Qaisi, who was believed to be planning a large-scale eminent terror attack on Israel’s southern border.
No comments:
Post a Comment