Status: 10.10.2023, 12:46 p.m.
By: Tadhg Nagel
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Hamas' invasion of Israel has shaken the world. Indications point to help from outside - was Russia also involved?
JERUSALEM – Hamas' successful surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip over the weekend has shaken the Middle East. The war in Israel has reignited years of tension between the militant Islamist group and the Israeli state.
Hamas justified "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" in response to Israel's recent police actions on the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and to the violence of Israeli settlers. They occupy parts of the Palestinian West Bank. In Israel, in addition to horror and grief, the question of how the attack could have been so successful in the first place prevails. After all, Israel's intelligence services were considered the best in the world.
"Certainly a long relationship" between Iran and Hamas - was there outside interference?
One answer to this question could be possible support for Hamas from abroad. For some time now, it has been financed, armed and trained by Iran. In its strategic confrontation with Israel and its Western backers, Tehran supports numerous Islamist militant organizations. Initial reports, as well as a statement from Hamas, suggest that Iran was involved in the attack, which was presumably prepared for several weeks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (vl) - did both countries support the Hamas operation? © IMAGO/Valery Sharifulin
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday (Oct. 8) that he had "not yet seen any evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there is certainly a long relationship." Iran's mission to the United Nations, on the other hand, has denied any involvement. In addition, the raid appears to have thwarted, or at least delayed, the planned normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. This was considered an important strategic goal for Tehran.
Speculation about Russian involvement in Hamas attack - help from Wagner mercenaries?
There has also been speculation on social media about Russian involvement in the Hamas operation, as reported by the US portal Newsweek. However, there is no evidence of Moscow's alleged role. Some pro-Ukrainian accounts had claimed on X (formerly Twitter) without evidence that mercenaries from the Wagner Group could have trained the Hamas units. Wagner, however, according to the newspaper, has no known presence in the Palestinian territories.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, suggested that Russia could benefit from the shift in international attention. Finally, the deteriorating situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories distracts from his atrocities in Ukraine. Oleg Ignatov, a senior Russia analyst at the Brussels-based Crisis Group think tank, firmly rejected this. He told Newsweek that it was hard to imagine that Russia had been involved in the planning of the attack. "Of course, we live in a world where we can't rule anything out. But I didn't see any evidence," Ignatov said.
Russia has been cultivating relations with Iran for a long time - What is Moscow's role in the Middle East conflict?
It is true that Russia has long maintained close cooperation with Iran and its network of militant partner organizations. However, such diplomatic channels should not be confused with direct support, Ignatov said. The country has very good ties to Hamas, which everyone knows. However, it is more in the interest of Russia's Middle East policy to be able to communicate with everyone. Therefore, Moscow is more interested in participating in peace talks than in influencing the fighting. This, of course, means that "it would not be interested in supporting either side."
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On Telegram, some users were of a different opinion. The situation in Israel is "beneficial for Russia, because the globalist toad is distracted from Ukraine," Russian journalist Sergey Mardan posted. Iran is Russia's true military ally, while Israel is supported by the United States. Choosing a side is therefore easy. Margarita Simonyan, the head of RT, also blew the same horn on social media: "The country that is not at war with its neighbors is again at war with its neighbors. We await the exodus of Russian pacifists. But we won't hold our breath either," the propagandist said.
However, such cheering on speakers in the state media is not the same as foreign policy, Oleg Ignatov clarified to Newsweek. It is not politics, but wishful thinking: "They believe that this is how the world works. If there is a war in Israel, it means that the United States is more likely to send grenades and ammunition to Israel than to Ukraine. And that this means that Russia will have an advantage." (tpn)