Iranian Envoy Rejects Alleged Dispute between Iran, Hamas

Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Qazanfar Roknabadi praised the good and friendly relations between Iran and Hamas, and rejected the reports alleging that the Palestinian resistance group has distanced itself from Iran.

Despite minor differences between Iran and Hamas about the Syrian crisis, “the movement (Hamas) has not abandoned the resistance front and has not distanced itself from Syria,” Roknanadi said according to a Persian report of the Islamic republic news agency on Sunday.

The Iranian envoy further highlighted Hamas officials’ gratitude to Iran for providing backup for the Palestinian resistance group, and reiterated, “Iran is ready to support anyone resisting the Quds Occupying Regime, and all resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine aim to confront the regime.”

Iran’s technological support for Hamas and other Palestinian groups’ weapons systems helped them defeat Israel on the 8th day of an Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip which started on November 14.

Political and military experts believe that Israel was shocked and later pushed to reassess its calculations after Palestinian groups responded to the Israeli army’s aggression on Gaza with a stunning retaliation, hitting Tel Aviv, a move which eventually made Israel start an overture and change its war rhetoric about an impending ground incursion into Gaza to a tone of compromise in pursuit of truce.

Israel was surprised when Palestinians in Gaza targeted Tel Aviv, 70km away from the foremost Palestinian territories, for the first time. The longest range recorded by Palestinian missiles prior to Friday had been 40km.

Things grew worse for Israeli rulers when Hamas targeted Herzliya, a city 11km North of Tel Aviv.

Targeting Herzliya meant that Palestinian resistance groups now had the capability to hit targets, at least, 80km away, much beyond the previously thought 40-km range for Palestinian missiles.

And this strategic weapon which changed the scene of the war between Israel and Palestinians is a rocket known as Fajr-5.

Fajr-class rockets, Fajr-5 (Dawn 5) in particular, are known and described by the world military experts, as a weapon system appropriate for asymmetric wars, where the military power of the conflicting sides differs significantly.

The two-stage version of Fajr-5 rockets are the most effective and longest range of the Fajr-class rockets and can be used against enemy targets such as command and control centers, logistics, radar, communication, airports, plants and economic and political centers.

Israel had called up thousands of reservists and massed troops along the border with Gaza, signaling a ground invasion of the densely populated seaside strip could be imminent. But the Palestinian groups’ missile attacks on Tel Aviv and the areas in the vicinity of Jerusalem frightened the Israeli regime, making it drop its aggression plans and ask for third party mediation.

Eventually, a Cairo-mediated ceasefire agreement, which took effect on November 21, ended the Israeli attacks, which killed more than 165 Palestinians and injured about 1,269 others.