WSJ: Iran helped Hamas prepare an attack on Israel

Iranian security officials helped the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas plan an air and ground attack on Israel, senior sources in Hamas and the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah told The Wall Street Journal. According to representatives of the groups, Iran gave the "green light" to the attack on Israel at a meeting in Beirut last Monday, October 2. Prior to that, officers of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been working with Hamas since August to develop an attack plan. Details of the operation were clarified at several meetings in the Lebanese capital with the participation of Hezbollah. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Washington has not seen evidence of Tehran's involvement in the attack on Israel. However, an unnamed European official and an adviser to the Syrian government confirmed to the WSJ the information of the Palestinian group about Iran's role in the ongoing events. At the same time, a senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mirdawi, said that his group planned the attack on its own. Tehran openly supported the start of the Hamas war against Israel. However, the Tehran mission to the UN denied involvement in the Hamas attack. Iran supports Palestine, but the IRGC has nothing to do with the escalation, the mission said.