Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz told lawmakers earlier today that Iran was upgrading the military capabilities of one of its proxies, Hamas.
“In recent days, while we face the known threat from Gaza, there is a direct Iranian intervention. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas are involved in operative preparations to upgrade the threat to Israel from the direction of Gaza,” he told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday.
He added that Iran was forced to increase its support for Hamas after they were forced to leave Qatar due to Saudi Arabian pressure.
“It’s amazing how everything has to do with Iran,” Katz added, further discussing ways in which Iran is consolidating its power in the region. “Whether it’s their nuclear aspirations and the need to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons… the attempt to improve its military preparedness in Syria, training Shi’ite militias [or] actions improving Hezbollah missiles.”
“In a short time we will see ourselves fighting a much more challenging threat on the operative and military levels if we don’t change direction,” he warned.
He added that Israel was not involved in the ongoing protests currently rocking Iran. [source]
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