Reuters: Khamenei Told Haniyeh: We Provide Political and Moral Support, Not War

Reuters reported that during a meeting with Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Ali Khamenei conveyed a clear message to the Hamas leader stating, "You did not give us any warning about the October 7 attack on Israel, and we will not enter the war on your behalf." According to several senior officials from the Islamic Republic and Hamas, Khamenei assured Haniyeh that Iran would continue its "political and moral support" for the group but would not directly engage in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. A Hamas official stated that Khamenei pressured Haniyeh to silence voices within the group that openly called for Iran and Hezbollah to join the war against Israel. Additionally, three sources close to Hezbollah indicated that the group was also surprised by Hamas's attack on Israel, which resulted in at least 1,200 deaths in Israel, and that its forces were not on alert in villages near the border, which had been the frontline in the 2006 war with Israel, and had to be quickly called to the area. One Hezbollah commander remarked, "We woke up to war." Mohannad Haj Ali, a Hezbollah expert at the Carnegie Endowment in Beirut, noted that the October 7 attack by Hamas has put its allies in a difficult position against an adversary with significantly superior military power. He stated, "When you wake a bear with such an attack, it becomes very difficult for your allies to find themselves in a similar position." Hamas, the Iran-backed group that governs Gaza, is at war with Israel for its survival. Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Israel, and several other countries. According to Reuters, Muhammad Deif, the military commander of Hamas, called on the group's allies in what is referred to as the "Resistance Axis" to join the war against Israel on October 7. In a voice message, he said, "Our brothers in the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, today is the day your resistance unites with your people in Palestine." Subsequently, Khaled Mashal, a Hamas leader, thanked Hezbollah for its actions in a televised interview aired on October 15, but stated that "the battle needs more than that," indicating signs of his frustration. In its exclusive report, Reuters cited six individuals described as "aware of decision-making in Tehran," stating that the Islamic Republic does not intervene directly in the conflict unless Israel or the U.S. directly attacks the country. According to these officials, the ruling clerics in Iran intend to continue using their network of proxy militia groups, including Hezbollah, for missile and drone attacks on Israeli and American targets in the Middle East. They stated that this strategy is a controlled effort to show solidarity with Hamas in Gaza without Iran entering into direct confrontation with Israel, which could potentially involve the United States as well. Dennis Ross, a former senior American diplomat and Middle East expert now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Reuters, "This is their way of creating deterrence"; a way to convey that "look, as long as you don’t attack us, this model remains. But if you do attack us, everything changes." Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic claims that its proxy groups make decisions independently. Reuters also noted that the Iranian Foreign Ministry did not respond to its request for comment on this report. Both Hamas and Hezbollah did not respond to requests for comment either. Israel bombed Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli Defense Minister warned the Hezbollah leader not to "make a mistake." Tens of thousands gathered in Washington to support Israel; Iranians were also present. Exclusive: Former CENTCOM commander states that "Iran's great strength and power" will force it to retreat.