Senior Bahraini cleric hails Hamas operation against Israel

Bahrain’s highest Shia religious authority Sheikh Isa Qassim has hailed the Palestinian offensive by the Hamas resistance movement against Israel.

In a statement released on Monday, the senior cleric said Operation al-Aqsa Storm was a “humiliation, disgrace, and a scandal” for the regime.

“The al-Aqsa Flood is a rare lesson in courage, intense bravery, enormous sacrificial risk, careful planning, [and] abundant faith,” the statement read.

Sheikh Qassim said the message of the operation should be “received by our glorious nation [Ummah] of faith” as a demonstration that “nothing stands between the nation and sweeping victory except a united stance to recover Palestine.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the cleric condemned certain Muslim countries for normalization of relations with Israel. He also denounced Manama’s decision in 2020 to establish official diplomatic ties with Israel.