Iran ups rhetoric with talk of training Palestinian fighters

Iran has been supporting and instructing Palestinian resistance factions for years on the down low, but now it's bragging about it.
Brigadier-General Hossein Ashtari, the chief commander of the Islamic Republic's police force, addresses ambassadors and representatives of international organisations based in Tehran on October 10, 2018. - Ashtari called for further international cooperation for fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and cyber crimes. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
Brig. Gen. Hossein Ashtari, the chief commander of Iran's police force, addresses ambassadors and representatives of international organizations, Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10, 2018. - ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
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Ahmad Abu Amer
@ahmedmajd1
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recently blaming Iran's influence on Palestinians for the lack of progress in peace talks, Iran seemed more than happy to accept responsibility. 

In an interview with Globo TV during his Jan. 1 visit to Brazil, Netanyahu said, “Half of them [Palestinians] are already under the gun of Iran and of radical Islam.” His comments coincided with statements made the same day by Iran's police chief, Hossein Ashtari, that his forces are ready to train members of the Palestinian factions' armed wings.

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