EXCLUSIVE – Arab Intel Source: Iran Vying for Control Over Hamas, Islamic Jihad Terrorist Groups

Iran has presented Hamas and Islamic Jihad with a list of conditions under which the Islamic republic will resume financial support to the two organizations, an Arab intelligence source has told Breitbart Jerusalem.

Those conditions include a full Hamas commitment to support what the Iranians call the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Syria, Hezbollah, Iraq and the Houthi in Yemen, the intelligence source said.

According to the source, whose information has repeatedly proved reliable, Iran recently renewed support for the Palestinian organization but in significantly smaller amounts than before the civil war in Syria.

Iran is trying to bring Hamas and Islamic Jihad back into the axis, “but it is setting conditions to return relations to the prosperous state that they were in at the beginning of the decade,” said the source.

“The Iranians expect the two organizations to fully adopt its positions, especially in all regards to Israel and the fight against Israel.”

According to the source, “Iran expects the two organizations to fully coordinate with Iran and its allies in case of a confrontation with Israel and members of the ‘Axis of Resistance.’”

According to the source, Iran’s new stance stems, among other things, from its desire to recruit regional players in case of a confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah and the Iranian regime’s ongoing campaign for regional hegemony.

“For the Iranians, in the case of a confrontation with Israel, be it in the Golan Heights, southern Lebanon or on both fronts, the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, is meant to be part of the war effort against Israel,” said the source. “The Iranians want to ensure that the Palestinian reconciliation process won’t affect decisions by Hamas or Islamic Jihad to join the campaign.”

The source said that the two terrorist organizations have yet to respond to the Iranian demand and are being forced to deal with significant financial difficulties that have manifested in the reduction of salary payments to so-called armed members of both jihadist groups and the complete cessation of payments to non-jihadist personnel.