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Tel Aviv [Israel]May 17 (ANI/TPS): In order to consolidate Iran’s power over Israel, Tehran put intense pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to create a “joint operational mechanism” in Lebanon to coordinate military Activity.
The development comes amid ongoing confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, aimed at uniting Iranian proxies in the region.
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The coalition of Iranian-backed terrorist groups known as the “Jerusalem Axis” is Iran’s force against the Abraham Accords. This axis is supported in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
Reports from Arab and Lebanese sources indicate that Iran has been actively working to establish a common operational headquarters for Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in southern Lebanon. There have been signs of plans to create a joint center to coordinate rocket attacks on Israel.
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While the move was aimed at strengthening the military capabilities of the Axis powers in Jerusalem, Taspeit News understands that it is also creating internal divisions and tensions within its various terrorist groups.
Hamas leader Yahya Singwal in Gaza has expressed opposition to the initiative, favoring a more neutral stance. However, Saleh Arouri, a Hamas influential figure based in Turkey, reportedly supports closer ties with Iran and has spearheaded the push for the “Iran option”.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would rather maintain his “surrogate” status than fully ally with Hamas.
As for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran provides them with about $100 million a year. However, Tehran gave the PIJ freedom to act to seek an Egypt-brokered ceasefire, ending the five-day conflict with Israel.
Increased coordination between Iran and its proxies was evidenced by a series of meetings with senior officials earlier this year.
In one notable meeting, Ismail Khani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was at the Iranian embassy in Lebanon with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas deputy Saleh’ah Lury and senior officials from Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah held discussions. Shortly after Carney’s visit, a barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon into Israel on April 6, strongly suggesting a coordinated effort.
Israel responded to the rocket attacks by targeting Hamas-linked sites in southern Lebanon. The next day, Hassan Nasrallah met with Haniyeh to further hint at Hezbollah’s involvement and approve the rocket launch.
The incidents underscore the close coordination between Iran and its proxies, suggesting Iran wants to increase coordination among terrorist groups, including rocket attacks from Lebanese soil.
Establishing an operational regime in southern Lebanon fits with Iran’s broader goals against Israel. By activating Hamas from Lebanese soil, Hezbollah aims to protect its targets from Israeli retaliation while deterring Israeli actions against Iranian assets. However, Hezbollah faces internal pressure from various political forces in Lebanon and the Shiite community urging them to be cautious and prevent another potentially devastating conflict similar to the 2006 war.
The delicate situation of Hezbollah may lead the terrorist group to seek alternative solutions. It has been speculated that Nasrallah may have preferred to use Hamas as a “proxy” from southern Lebanon, keeping a low profile to avoid provoking an Israeli military response in Lebanon. This approach could provide Hezbollah with the required tickets to Damascus as a reward.
For Hamas, however, the situation is much more complicated.
Tehran’s proposed coordination mechanism risks turning Hamas into a de facto “agent” of Hezbollah’s influence. Not all leaders within Hamas, including Yahya Sinwar, who has close ties to Egypt, and Khaled Meshaal, a leader linked to Qatar, find the arrangement acceptable. The prospect of Hamas integrating itself into Iran’s “Jerusalem axis” has raised concerns about possible Iranian interference through Aruri and Hamas’ pro-Iran camp. (ANI/TPS)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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