Iran 'using PIJ attacks on Israel to force Hamas' hand on Assad'

摘要

Iran has directed the pro-Tehran group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to escalate rocket attacks on Israel as part of a complex plan to pressurise Hamas into declaring its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A senior Hamas security source told Jane's on 4 August that the move is designed to overcome the opposition of Hamas leader Kha-led Mashal to declaring his support for Assad, which he has so far avoided due to an unwillingness to interfere in the internal affairs of an external state. In order to ratchet up pressure on Hamas, Tehran has pushed the PIJ's military wing, the Al-Quds brigade, into launching attacks on Israel. The idea is that this could provoke an Israeli retaliation against the Gaza Strip as a whole - something Hamas is desperate to avoid.