From the day protests began in Iran on Dec. 28, stemming from Iran’s worsening economic situation, Iranian protesters have denounced the money spent by their country in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. They chanted the slogan, “No Gaza or Lebanon, My Life to Iran.”

Iranian-backed Palestinian factions kept mum and refrained from commenting on the protests out of fear that their stances would impinge on such aid and result in its halt or reduction.

Although there are no accurate figures of the aid that Iran has given to Palestinian factions, Al Jazeera indicated in July 2015 that Iran provided Hamas with an average of $250 million annually during the period of 2006-2011 in varying proportions, in addition to the military aid to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing. Al Jazeera, however, did not report on Iran’s aid to other Palestinian factions, such Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Iran’s aid to Hamas declined following Hamas’ position on the Syrian revolution in 2011 and worsened ties with Iran. Yet the aid provided to the al-Qassam Brigades remained unchanged.