Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar confirmed over the weekend that the Gaza Strip-based terrorist group was seeking to bolster its ties with Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah.
Al-Zahar's remarks, made in an interview with Palestinian satellite TV channel Al-Quds, seemed to substantiate an assessment by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said Friday that Hamas is investing considerable resources into establishing terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, in order to threaten Israel.
"Our relations with Iran and Hezbollah have returned to their natural path and we intend to develop these relations," Al-Zahar's said. "We will expand our ties with Iran and Hezbollah," he added.
Iran has expressed support for Hamas' efforts to establish terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating that arming Hamas in the area was "necessary for confronting the Zionist regime."
Khamenei noted that as Iran "helps the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon, it provides assistance to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Sunni groups in Palestine and will continue this assistance."
Commenting on reports that a senior Hamas official in Lebanon has recently escaped an alleged Israeli attempt on his life, Al-Zahar said that "Hamas members are in Israel's sights at all times in Lebanon and elsewhere and therefore all the activists should be wary. We will deal with the collaborators who helped Israel in the last explosion in Sidon."
Al-Zahar also appeared to have admitted in the interview that Hamas, whose coffers are virtually empty, was in need of Iran and Hezbollah's financial aid, a fact downplayed by Arab media.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai posted a video of the interview to his Facebook page on Saturday in which Al-Zahar admits Hamas is struggling in the administration of Gaza Strip, which is why it is seeking both its reconciliation with rival Palestinian faction Fatah and Iran and Hezbollah's assistance.
"The Hamas terror organization has failed to impose its will on the Gaza Strip and is desperate for a reconciliation with Fatah only so it can save itself from the wrath of Gaza's residents," Mordechai wrote in his post.
Meanwhile, President Reuven Rivlin toured the Israel-Gaza border-adjacent communities over the weekend. He was briefed on recent security developments by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Gaza Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs.
"We are fighting terrorist organizations that don't give a second thought to the future and well-being of the residents of Gaza. They treat any lull as just another step towards the next conflict," Rivlin said during a meeting with local students.
"We know that the next war, if we are forced to fight one, will be difficult and different from the previous one, but we are determined to reach it prepared and trained, with the element of surprise on our side – not the enemy's side.
"Unfortunately, Gaza is on the brink of collapse. The world must know and understand that those who are preventing Gaza's rehabilitation are Hamas members," he said.
