Report: Iran Asked Hamas to Establish Presence on Golan Heights

TEL AVIV — Iran has ordered Hamas to establish a base of operations on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights from which to fire rockets, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

According to the report in the daily Maariv, seeing impending victory in the Syrian civil war, Iran told Hamas to maintain a military force on the northern front in the Golan Heights region to contribute to the military effort if a conflict erupts in the north.

An Arab intelligence source has confirmed to Breitbart Jerusalem that Iran did indeed ask Hamas to join Iran and its allies in Syria.

The source noted that on a military level, Hamas’ contribution isn’t critical due to the presence of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard as well as forces from Hezbollah and other groups allied with the Syrian regime. “But there is an Iranian attempt here to tell Hamas that if they want to get out of the difficult financial crisis haunting the organization, Iran expects Hamas to be completely bound to Iranian interests and Iranian needs in the region,” he said. “The economic crisis in Iran isn’t affecting Iranian policy but Hamas’ financial crisis is likely to force the group to give in to Iran’s orders.”

“Iran needs a Sunni player at its side that is openly present in its axis. Hamas can fulfill this role and the Iranians are focusing their efforts on it. They don’t really need Hamas’ rockets, they don’t need a few dozen Hamas fighters, they need Sunni legitimization that Hamas can give Iran and its allies in Syria,” concluded the source.

Though it remains unclear if it was connected to these events, Palestinian media reported that Hamas deputy politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzook visited Cairo on Wednesday, where he met with Egyptian intelligence representatives. Palestinian and Arab media reported that the meetings addressed the crisis in Palestinian reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas.

It is possible, according to the Arab intelligence source, that the visit was also made to discuss the possible implications of Hamas’ financial crisis in the Gaza Strip and the renewal of cooperation with Iran, cooperation that increases the chances of military conflict between Hamas and Israel.