For the first time since the conflict in Gaza began earlier this month, Israel has officially accused Iran of being directly responsible for the attack by Hamas, which triggered the outbreak of the war. Tel Aviv is claiming that Tehran was involved in both training and planning. The Israeli government has launched an international campaign against both Hamas and Iran, considering them responsible for the Oct. 7 attack, which they believe was part of a plan for a “regional war that threatens global peace.” 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry gathered 100 foreign media correspondents for a meeting on Monday, during which it presented a video showing acts of cruelty and staged scenes involving bodies during the Hamas attack on Israeli towns near Gaza. Spokespersons at the meeting stated that Iran trained Hamas operatives and devised the attack plan for them as part of a “broad regional battle” against Israel, involving all of its militias across the Middle East, from Yemen to Iraq, as well as from Lebanon and Syria. Veteran Israeli diplomat Itamar Rabinovich regards the current Gaza conflict as the “first Iran-Israel war.”

Rabinovich, who previously served as the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israel’s ambassador to Washington, and who chaired the Israeli delegation for negotiations with Syria, affirmed that the conflict being witnessed since Oct. 7 is a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.“ 

However, this war is taking place within a broader context primarily shaped by Iranian efforts to challenge Israel on multiple fronts,” noted Rabinovich. He explained that “currently, there is an ongoing war of attrition between Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, and Israel, and at any given moment, Iran and the leadership of Hezbollah could determine the shift towards a full-scale war.” 

Source: Al Sharq Al Awsat