Al Mustaqbal of Lebanon reports that the recent visit by Hamas' Mahmoud al Zahar to Iran was meant to strengthen ties between Hamas and Iran and to talk about specific tasks for Hamas in case Israel attacks Iran's nuclear program.
According to sources familiar with the details of the visits, there were meetings between the highest level Iranian political and security officials with leaders of Hamas. Zahar's visit to Tehran involved the following objectives:
1. Determine the role of Hamas in Gaza if Israel attacked Iran.
2. The introduction of missiles into the Gaza Strip to strengthen the Hamas arsenal that would be ready for any confrontation that could erupt between Israel and Iran. It is assumed that Gaza is one of the arenas of battle.
3. Increased financial support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran gave Ismail Haniyeh $33 million that was distributed immediately after his return to the sector to the staff of Hamas.
4. To thwart reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah in order to keep the Gaza Strip a reliable tool of Iranian influence.
The article goes on to say that Iran is encouraging al-Zahar's influence against Khaled Meshal within Hamas.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
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