Iranian Security officials helped Hamas orchestrate the weekend attack on Israel and officially approved of the assault during a meeting in Beirut last Monday, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Citing senior Hamas and Hezbollah members, the outlet reports Officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard have worked with Hamas to plan the air, land, and sea attack since August. The attack on Israel was one of the most deadly breaches of its borders in decades.

Hundreds of civilians and soldiers were taken hostage as Hamas bombarded villages and towns near Gaza. Hamas, is the a Shiite militant group that holds control in Gaza while Hezbollah is another political faction backed by Iran in Lebanon.

The report contradicts a statement made earlier this weekend by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who claimed the U.S. has “not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there is certainly a long relationship.”

The meeting in Beirut where the specifics of the assault were planned was attended by IRGC officers as well as four representatives of other Iranian backed militant organizations.

Per WSJ:

A European official and an adviser to the Syrian government, however, gave the same account of Iran’s involvement in the lead-up to the attack as the senior Hamas and Hezbollah members.

Asked about the meetings, Mahmoud Mirdawi, a senior Hamas official, said the group planned the attacks on its own. “This is a Palestinian and Hamas decision,” he said.

Hours after the attack occurred, President Joe Biden addressed the nation in a televised broadcast calling the assault “appalling” and vowing to standby Israel.

One of the essential goals of the Saturday strike was to disrupt peaceful relations with Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to senior Hamas and Hezbollah members who claim Iran believes that relationship is threatening.

The post Iran Helped Plot Hamas Attack On Israel Over Several Weeks, Countering Anthony Blinken’s Claims – WSJ first appeared on Mediaite.

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