Iran is mobilizing Islamic Jihad in Gaza in an effort to sabotage the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Quds al-Arabi claimed in a report on Friday. Hours after the report appeared, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades in Gaza, Abu Anas, warned on Saturday evening that the truce's end was nearing.
Islamic Jihad operatives during a training exercise in Gaza.
Photo: AP
Commenting on the report, senior security analyst Yaakov Amidror told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas would not hesitate to use force to shut down Islamic Jihad to defend the cease-fire.
"Islamic Jihad lives off of Iran. It is more similar to Hizbullah than to Hamas in this respect. Hamas cooperates with Iran, but Islamic Jihad is dependent on it. If Islamic Jihad attempts to undermine the cease-fire, Hamas will explain to them - in terms they understand - that it will have to pay for such a move," Amidror said.
"Hamas has enough power to keep the small Islamic Jihad down. Iran could try and implement this plan, but Hamas would put an end to it, as the cease-fire is in Hamas's interest. Hamas is buying weapons, getting organized, and attempting to extend its sphere of influence, to become more than a terror organization," he added.
Amidror said a second claim made in al-Quds al-Arabi, that Iran has supplied Hizbullah with long-range missiles capable of striking targets deep inside Israel, did not contain any new information. The report said the missiles would be fired on Israel in case of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites.
The report based its claims on what it described as "Western sources," who allegedly said the missiles could also be used if the US launched a regional war against the Islamic Republic.
The missiles were "the surprise" Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has cryptically referred to in recent speeches, the sources said, adding that they have a high level of precision.
"This is nothing new. Hizbullah has had these missiles - such as the Zilzal, which can reach Tel Aviv - for years," Amidror said. "I don't think Hizbullah received longer-range missiles, but they are stockpiling more of the same [ones]," he added.
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