Islamic Republic President Speaks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad Leaders as Terror War Continues

October 9, 2023

2 minute read

The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh (2nd R), shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri (L) and the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami (C), during the swearing in ceremony for Iran’s new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic’s capital Tehran on August 5, 2021. (Atta KENARE / AFP)

On Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi spoke with leaders of Palestinian terror groups, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a day after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack against the Jewish state of Israel.

Raisi discussed the developments in calls with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary general of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas' political bureau, according to the Iranian-state news agency.

The regime in Tehran has praised the terrorist attack, describing it as a "proud operation" and a "great victory," and celebrations among regime supports have occurred in Tehran.

"This victorious operation, which will facilitate and accelerate the collapse of the Zionist regime, promises the impending destruction of the Zionist regime," said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"I am congratulating this great and strategic victory, which is a serious warning to all compromisers in the region," Velayati added in a letter to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Fereydoun Abbasi, a member of the Islamic Republic's Parliament, echoed similar sentiments: "With the advanced weapons we have, we can destroy Israel. We have things they are unaware of," Abbasi said.

According to local media reports in Jerusalem, at least 600 Israelis have been killed, with more than 2,000 others being wounded. Dozens are believed to be held hostage in Gaza.

Mohammad Baqeri, chairman of the chiefs of staff of the Islamic Republic's armed forces, said it would not be long before the Palestinian proxies succeeded in "liberating" the Al-Aqsa Mosque from what he referred to as "the Zionist enemy."

As the war continues, Israeli officials are deploying their forces to Israel's northern border, anticipating the Iranian Shiite-Lebanese proxy Hezbollah to join the conflict. The United States has stated it supports Israel's military actions and continues to monitor the situation while sending military aid.