The Islamic Republic of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims the Oct. 7 attack by terrorist group Hamas against Israel was in retaliation for the United States' neutralization operation against IRGC Quds Force Chief Qasem Soleimani.
According to the IRGC-affiliated media outlet, Fars News Agency, Ramezan Sharif, a spokesperson for the IRGC, said the Al-Aqsa Storm was "one of the retaliations of the Axis of Resistance against the Zionists for the martyrdom of Qasem Soleimani."
The latest claim from the IRGC officials comes as the regime has tried to distance itself from the attacks, even though information has revealed Tehran's support for Hamas in their attack.
The Ayatollahs have claimed that Hamas acted independently, however, the IRGC has been the primary supplier of the terrorist group, providing them with weapons, training, and financial resources.
Hamas, however, rejected the idea that the terrorist attack was in response to Soleimani's killing.
"We deny what was conveyed by a spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards regarding the operation and its motives," Hamas said in a release.
"We emphasized several times the motives, with the primary one being the threats posed to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Any response from the Palestinian resistance is a reaction to occupation and aggression against the Palestinian people and holy sites."
Following the Oct. 7 attack, Tehran has called on its proxies in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon to attack Israeli and American forces in the Middle East.
In Southern Lebanon, the Iranian Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah has launched several missiles against Israeli towns in northern Israel, prompting the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to strike Hezbollah forces.
In Yemen, the Iranian-backed Houthis have attacked several US naval and commercial shipping vessels, generating chaos in the region.
On Monday, Israelis carried out an airstrike in Damascus, Syria, killing Sayyed Razi Mousavi, senior adviser for the IRGC.
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