Iran’s supreme leader told the head of Hamas in a face-to-face meeting in Tehran that his country would not enter the war with Israel and accused the terror group of not giving any prior warning of the Oct 7 attacks.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Ismail Haniyeh that Iran – a longtime backer of Hamas – would continue to lend the group its political and moral support, but would not intervene directly, according to three Iranian and Hamas officials with knowledge of the discussions who asked to remain anonymous.

The supreme leader pressed Haniyeh to silence those voices in the Palestinian group publicly calling for Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah to join the battle against Israel in full force, a Hamas official told Reuters.

Hezbollah, too, was taken by surprise by Hamas’s devastating assault last month that killed 1,200 Israelis. Its fighters were not even on alert in villages near the border that were frontlines in its 2006 war with Israel, and had to be rapidly called up, three sources close to the Lebanese group said.

“We woke up to a war,” said a Hezbollah commander.

The unfolding crisis marks the first time that the so-called ‘axis of resistance’ – a military alliance built by Iran over four decades to oppose Israeli and American power in the Middle East – has mobilised on multiple fronts at the same time.

Hezbollah has engaged in the heaviest clashes with Israel for almost 20 years. Iran-backed militias have targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria. Yemen’s Houthis have launched missiles and drones at Israel.


The conflict is also testing the limits of the regional coalition whose members – which include the Syrian government, Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups from Iraq to Yemen – have differing priorities and domestic challenges.

Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Hezbollah at the Carnegie Middle East Centre think-tank in Beirut, said Hamas’s Oct 7 assault on Israel had left its axis partners facing tough choices in confronting an adversary with far superior firepower.

“When you wake up the bear with such an attack, it’s quite difficult for your allies to stand in the same position as you.”

Hamas, the ruling group of Gaza, is fighting for its survival against an avenging Israel, which vows to wipe it out and has launched a retaliatory onslaught on the tiny enclave that has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians.


On Oct 7, Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s military commander, called on its axis allies to join the struggle. “Our brothers in the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, this is the day when your resistance unites with your people in Palestine,” he said in an audio message.

Hints of frustration surfaced in subsequent public statements by Hamas leaders including Khaled Meshaal, who in an Oct 16 TV interview thanked Hezbollah for its actions thus far but said “the battle requires more” .

Nonetheless, alliance leader Iran will not directly intervene in the conflict unless it is itself attacked by Israel or the US, according to six officials with direct knowledge of Tehran’s thinking who declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

Instead, Iran’s clerical rulers plan to continue using their axis network of armed allies, including Hezbollah, to launch rocket and drone attacks on Israeli and American targets across the Middle East, the officials said.

The strategy is a calibrated effort to demonstrate solidarity for Hamas in Gaza and stretch Israeli forces without becoming engaged in a direct confrontation with Israel that could draw in the US, they added.

“This is their way of trying to create deterrence,” said Dennis Ross, a former senior US diplomat specialising in the Middle East who now works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think-tank. “A way of saying: ‘Look, as long as you don’t attack us, this is the way it will remain. But if you attack us, everything changes’.”


Iran has repeatedly said that all members of the alliance make their own decisions independently.

The Iranian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment about its response to the crisis and the role of the ‘axis of resistance’, a term of disputed origin that has been used by Iranian officials to describe the coalition.

Hamas did not immediately respond to questions sent to Haniyeh’s media adviser, while Hezbollah also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hezbollah, the most powerful group in the axis, boasting 100,000 fighters, has exchanged fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanon-Israel border on an almost daily basis since Hamas went to war with Israel and more than 70 of its fighters have been killed.

Yet, like its backer Iran, Hezbollah has avoided an all-out confrontation.

The group has calibrated its attacks in a way that has kept the violence largely contained to a narrow strip of territory at the border, even as it has escalated those strikes in recent days, according to the people familiar with its thinking.


One of the sources said Hamas wanted Hezbollah to strike deeper into Israel with its massive arsenal of rockets but that Hezbollah believed this would lead Israel to lay waste to Lebanon without halting its attack on Gaza.

Hezbollah, which is also a political movement deeply involved in Lebanese government affairs, knows Lebanon can ill afford another war with Israel, more than four years into a financial crisis that has driven up poverty and hollowed out the country’s governing institutions.

Lebanon took years to rebuild from the 2006 war, during which Israeli bombardment pounded the Hezbollah-controlled south of the country and destroyed swathes of its stronghold in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a Nov 3 speech that Hamas had kept its attack on Israel a secret from its allies and this had ensured its success and not “upset anyone” in the axis. Hezbollah attacks at the Israeli border were unprecedented and amounted to “a real battle”, he said.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jcNnfYMcPo?si=nKjOrnetB_zsfFw_

They no born them well make them try am

Like say wetin Iraq do them never enter their head

No you should. Foolish man

An all out war won't be in Tehran's interest because their economy would go to dust. While the U.S keeps backing the IDF.

A sensible step to take is to keep covertly supporting all their proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis etc with financial aids and weapon to enable them to launch deep into Tel Aviv. This could go on for years until Isreal agrees to come to the negoting table with Palestine to honor the two state solution.


It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

Them no born them well.

Cold still Dey their body after their Initial gragra.
Hamas is on for a long thing. This is their end. I feel the pains of Yoruba Muslims.

Take heart

Come now, you dey fear ni?

A305:
An all out war won't be in Tehran's interest because their economy would go to dust. While the U.S keeps backing the IDF.

A sensible step to take is to keep covertly supporting all their proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis etc with financial aids and weapon to enable them to launch deep into Tel Aviv. This could go on for years until Isreal agrees to come to the negoting table with Palestine to honor the two state solution.


It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

Israel are totally different knot to crack...!!
You can't compare Israel with Saudi in any way...!!
Israel kill terrorist, they don't negotiate with them...!!

The projectile houthi shot to Israel, you think they have been forgiven? All those projectiles would have their reply in due time...!!

This should be moved to joke section quickly before Tinubu's surpporters will start taking it serious. Iran o ni fe te 😄😅

A305:
An all out war won't be in Tehran's interest because their economy would go to dust. While the U.S keeps backing the IDF.

A sensible step to take is to keep covertly supporting all their proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis etc with financial aids and weapon to enable them to launch deep into Tel Aviv. This could go on for years until Isreal agrees to come to the negoting table with Palestine to honor the two state solution.


It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

If your wish was 1% realistic, terrorist nations surrounding Israel would have tried their luck again since after six days war.

As for two states solution, Israel has never rejected it and Hamas has never accepted it. A simple google search would have helped you know this. Israel also want a two states solution so that there can be peace. Only jihadists don't want peace because of UN's dollars.

Iran go think say the aircraft carriers nd nuclear submarines wey dey middle east na for fishing.

A305:



It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

Funny Go get ur History book nigga and read bout the 1967 Arab - Isreal war

I will not accept that. Iran must not only attack Israel, but also invade USA and allies.

Terrorists are moslems and moslems are terrorists.

after instigating the mumu Hamas to fight. I don't really blame them,I blame the mumu Hamas that could not read between the lines.

A305:
An all out war won't be in Tehran's interest because their economy would go to dust. While the U.S keeps backing the IDF.

A sensible step to take is to keep covertly supporting all their proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis etc with financial aids and weapon to enable them to launch deep into Tel Aviv. This could go on for years until Isreal agrees to come to the negoting table with Palestine to honor the two state solution.


It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

joke of the year. This analysis of yours is funny. Which Country wan wipe Israel off the map? Iran knows it cannot take on any Country in the middle east and win let alone Israel. Anways,whatever suits your narrative.

Floky215:


Israel are totally different knot to crack...!!
You can't compare Israel with Saudi in any way...!!
Israel kill terrorist, they don't negotiate with them...!!

The projectile houthi shot to Israel, you think they have been forgiven? All those projectiles would have their reply in due time...!!

You are spot on. Those houthi militias will have themselves to blame very soon. Their punishment dey cooler. Israel don't forgive foolishness of any form by their enemies.

I thought he said if israel entered Gaza,there will be consequences..

This man don see Israel machines fear..
Meanwhile some people were expecting Iran to fight israel..

shey you dey whine me ni? Iran? invade israel? or israel invade iran?

getatu

ObabiOlorunosi:
after instigating the mumu Hamas to fight. I don't really blame them,I blame the mumu Hamas that could not read between the lines.

Hamas was stupid to have carried out the October 7 attack and not expect dire consequences. Hezbollah learnt the hard way from the razing of Southern Lebanon by Isreal and you can see how that has taught Hezbollah how to restrain itself from any stupid adventure against Isreal. Hamas is also going to learn the hard way after the razing of Gaza if Hamas and any of its leadership are able to survive the war.

There is only one language that Jihadist understand and it is the language of terror and brutal retailiations. It is the language they speak anyway.

A305:
An all out war won't be in Tehran's interest because their economy would go to dust. While the U.S keeps backing the IDF.

A sensible step to take is to keep covertly supporting all their proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis etc with financial aids and weapon to enable them to launch deep into Tel Aviv. This could go on for years until Isreal agrees to come to the negoting table with Palestine to honor the two state solution.


It worked for Iran backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia before China brokered peace. It will certainly work with Isreal and Isreal would consider talks because neither IDF or US wants an escalation. In the event if an escalation, the U.S won't be able to contain it and Isreal will be wiped off the map even if they deploy their nuclear weapons.

I actually thought you were making Sense.....lol

It is very clear now.
Right from the outset.
There is no reasonable way Iran will jeopardize the lives of its 180 million people to be involved in war whose cause was just dumb.