Hamas isn’t even bothering to hide anymore the fact that Iran is pulling their strings.
A senior commander interviewed by The Sunday Times said 300 of the group’s “best brains†had been secretly sent to Tehran.
Half are still being trained by Revolutionary Guards. They are learning how to make explosives from everyday items and produce deadlier rockets.
The rest have already returned from a Revolutionary Guard base in Tehran. Some have been trained as snipers. Others have learnt to use tunnels in attacks on Israeli forces.
“Iran is our mother,†the commander said. “She gives us information, military supplies and financial support.â€
Seven separate groups of Hamas militants have spent up to six months in Tehran since the training began in 2005.
From the interview:
The Hamas commander, however, confirmed for the first time that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been training its men in Tehran for more than two years and is currently honing the skills of 150 fighters.
The details he gave suggested that, if anything, Shin Bet has underestimated the extent of Iran’s influence on Hamas’s increasingly sophisticated tactics and weaponry.
Speaking on the record but withholding his identity as a target of Israeli forces, the commander, who has a sparse moustache and oiled black hair, said Hamas had been sending fighters to Iran for training in both field tactics and weapons technology since Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza strip of Palestinian territory in 2005. Others go to Syria for more basic training.
“We have sent seven ‘courses’ of our fighters to Iran,†he said. “During each course, the group receives training that he will use to increase our capacity to fight.â€
The most promising members of each group stay longer for an advanced course and return as trainers themselves, he said.
This is the country that Juan Cole insists doesn’t mean the destruction of Israel when its leaders call for the destrucion of Israel This is the country that Jimmy Carter says isn’t an existential threat to Israel?
Former President Jimmy Carter said that he does not think Iran poses an immediate threat to Israel, despite claims by Iranian officials that they have drawn up bombing plans if the Jewish state should attack.
Speaking on Wednesday at Emory University, Carter, who brokered the 1979 Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt, said Israel’s superior military power and distance from Iran likely are enough to discourage an actual attack.
“Iran is quite distant from Israel,†said Carter, 83. “I think it would be almost inconceivable that Iran would commit suicide by launching one or two missiles of any kind against the nation of Israel.â€
The first word that comes to mind regarding both their opininions on Iran is: Wrong.
Iran has been waging war against Israel since 1979. America too. We just refuse to acknowledge it.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 03/10/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.