One month ago, I asked an Iranian diplomat in Beirut about relations with Hamas and whether there is any chance things will return to normal. “The door was never closed,” he told me. “Their bureau in Tehran is still functioning, and we still have contacts with them, it’s them who decided to downgrade relations, not us.”
For years, Hamas was Iran’s main ally in Palestine. Money and weapons were not the only things Iran gave to its ally. Also included was safe haven in Damascus, a secured branch in Lebanon and being on the favorite list after Hezbollah for “strategic arm” supplies.