Hamas Terror Against Israel Sponsored by Iran

Latest Developments

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has hosted numerous meetings with Tehran’s proxy organizations and called for united action against Israel over the past months, culminating in inciting violence on X last week. Hamas terrorists who infiltrated southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 250 Israelis, are widely known to be funded and armed by the Islamist regime in Tehran.

Expert Analysis

“The events unfolding in southern Israel are the consequence of the Iranian regime’s longstanding supply of weaponry and funding to Palestinian terrorist groups operating in the Gaza Strip. Iran has also extended its backing to terrorist organizations in various other regions, including Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.” — Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Since 1992, the regime in Iran has invested billions of dollars in providing cash, arms, and training to Hamas, which has openly allied with the Iranian leadership. The two share not only a radical Islamist ideology but also a belief that Israel should be annihilated.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussian, FDD Research Fellow

Millions in Funding Annually

According to an FDD tracker, Iran has built a network of at least 19 armed groups on Israel’s borders, including in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. The largest of these organizations are Hamas and Islamic Jihad, based in Gaza, and Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. These groups and others receive funding, training, and weapons from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Iran sends $100 million annually to Hamas, $700 million annually to Hezbollah, and tens of millions to Islamic Jihad. Hamas also uses Iranian technology and logistical support to produce arms locally. What Hamas does not produce it smuggles into the Mediterranean enclave from tunnels under its border with Egypt.

U.S. Policy Emboldens Iran

U.S. policy under the Biden administration has strengthened and emboldened the regime in Iran. Seeking to strike a nuclear agreement with Iran, the administration has weakened U.S. enforcement of oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic, providing the regime with much-needed cash. In August, Iran’s illicit oil exports surpassed 2.2 million barrels per day, a five-year high.

In July, the administration greenlit the transfer of $10 billion to Iran from Iraq. In August, the United States permitted South Korea to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds as a ransom for the return of American hostages. While Biden administration officials claim the funds can be used only for humanitarian purposes, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that Tehran will spend the money however it wants. Regardless, money is fungible, so the cash Iran receives frees up other budgetary resources to sponsor terrorism.

“Iran and its Networks of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations on Israel’s Borders,” by Joe Truzman

“Iran-backed Hamas Brutally Attacks Israel,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas and Islamic Jihad Meet Iranian Leaders in Tehran,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel: ‘This is not a conflict. This is war.’,” by Bill Roggio and Joe Truzman