Iran’s Revolutionary Guards link Hamas attack on Israel to general’s 2020 killing

Spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed deadly October 7 attack on Israel was revenge for Soleimani killing

Hamas promptly denied the claim, in a rare public spat between the Palestinian militant group and its main sponsor

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The 2020 funeral for top Iranian commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike. File photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:07am, 28 Dec 2023Updated: 9:21am, 28 Dec 2023

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday the October attacks on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas militants were in part a retaliation of the US killing in 2020 of a top Iranian commander.

The Palestinian armed group rejected earlier remarks by a Guards spokesman appearing to suggest that a key motivation for the October 7 attacks was to avenge Qassem Soleimani’s death on Iran’s behalf.

Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the death of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official figures.

Israel responded with a withering offensive that has killed more than 21,100 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Iran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has hailed the deadly attacks as a “success” but denied any direct involvement.

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