Hamas claims Iran sponsored attack on Israel; Tehran denies involvement

Washington: Militant outfit Hamas has claimed that Iran sponsored their intrusion into Israel and the deadly attacks even as Tehran has stoutly denied it while the US and Israeli governments claim they don’t have any direct evidence as yet to establish that the Iranian government was in any way involved as attacks against Israel has continued.

But US military strategists claim Iran has a long history of supporting Hamas with arms, ammunition and training its forces.

A senior US official said on Monday night that Iran certainly is complicit in funding Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, providing weapons to it and training its paramilitary forces, media reports said.

Military strategists say it could have a significant impact on the middle-east as "a rapidly intensifying crisis" that was restricted to battles between Israel and Hamas forces until now.

The Biden administration said Monday that at least 11 Americans have been killed in the terrorist attacks. And the White House confirmed it believes at least some Americans are among the hostages that Hamas operatives abducted and brought back with them to Gaza, USA Today said.

The militant Islamic group is one of two major political parties that rules over at least 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. The US, European Union and dozens of nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation for its armed resistance to Israel.

"Iran would be number one in a lineup" of suspects who could give Hamas the ability to launch the stunning terrorist attacks against Israel by air, land and sea and take it by complete surprise, said Andrew Borene, a senior US Intelligence and counterterrorism official until four months ago. “That doesn't mean that they're guilty,” Borene told USA TODAY in an interview. “It means there's a reason that they're being investigated" for a possible role in the surprise attacks.

Iran per US military strategists is the largest state sponsor of terrorism," said Borene, whose last job was as a senior executive in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

"Iran is the most active state sponsor of terrorism. So it's not without cause that people are investigating that thread."

The US military has likened the Hamas ambush on Israel and the attacks is the country's 9/11.

The Biden administration has exercised caution in not implicating Iran in the Hamas attack even though military strategists believe Tehran is involved.

On Monday, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said the Biden administration is investigating, but it lacks "direct information" that Tehran was behind it.

Asked if he believed the White House does not lend credence to the Wall Street Journal report for lack of direct evidence and that it was inaccurate, Finer said: "What I can tell you is we have no direct information to confirm that report. We've obviously seen it. We're looking into it, but we do not have the ability to corroborate it at this time."

The Israeli military also has said there is no concrete evidence of Iranian involvement in the Hamas attack from Gaza.

"Iran is a major player but we can’t yet say if it was involved in the planning or training," said R Adm Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.

Iran denies it played a role in the attacks. Tehran's mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that Iran was not involved in one of the bloodiest attacks in Israel's history, when Islamist group Hamas killed hundreds of Israelis and abducted perhaps 100 more, USA Today reported .

"The resolute measures taken by Palestine constitute a wholly legitimate defense against seven decades of oppressive occupation and heinous crimes committed by the illegitimate Zionist regime," Iran's UN mission said in statement, agencies reported.

Why is Iran suspected of playing a role?

For all their denials about finding a direct connection, US officials have been quick to say that Iran has a history of supporting these kinds of attacks, and Hamas in particular.

Kirby, the White House spokesman, said Monday night that there's "no question there's a degree of complicity here".

"Iran has been supporting Hamas for many, many years with tools, training, capabilities, certainly rhetorically but in much more tangible ways than that," he said.

"So absolutely, there's a degree of complicity here, writ large."