How far will Iran go to support Hamas in war with Israel?
Forty days into the Israel-Hamas war, the commander of Iran's Quds Force promised the militant group that Iran "will do anything required." Yet questions linger over Iran's willingness to risk direct involvement.
The head of Iran's Quds Force, the powerful wing commanding its controversial foreign military operations, has assured the Palestinian Hamas movement of Tehran's unwavering support amid the Israeli war on Gaza.
But depsite the public letter in which Maj. Gen. Esmail Qaani declared that "we will do anything required in this historic battle," Iran's practical actions remain cautious.
Written in Arabic, the letter addressed the commander of Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammad al-Deif. The armed branch was responsible for the Oct. 7 operation in which Hamas militants rampaged Israeli communities and military bases, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Israel in response has launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed over 11,000 lives, drawing international condemnation.
To Qaani, the Hamas attack was "an epic and a novel initiative," and he added, "Palestine and the region will not be as they were," arguing that it "exposed the vulnerability of the occupying Zionist regime."
