Inaccuracy

Submitted by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (United Kingdom), Apr 11, 2013 at 21:18

Dr. Pipes:

Hamas is NOT fighting Hezbollah in Syria. The original report which claimed that is dubious (namely, the Sunday Times: more a sensationalist tabloid than a serious newspaper).

Further, Hamas denies that it is training or working with rebel fighters in Syria and declares its policy is not to be involved in the conflict there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RRgJRZmtIY8

There is good reason for this. Meshaal calls the shots in Hamas' foreign relations and does not want to antagonize Iran, which still gives Hamas weaponry and financial aid (though the latter has been limited since Hamas withdrew from Syria).

Meanwhile, from the Iranian side recently:

***In regard to the Sunni-Shia relations, Velayati said that "the Islamic Republic of Iran also helps Sunni fighters." Many analysts believe that the Middle East is currently becoming involved in a larger sectarian war which has pitted Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah on one side and Syrian Sunni rebels, Arab Persian Gulf countries and Turkey on the other.

Velayati stressed that "today, one of the reasons the West is hostile to the Islamic Republic of Iran is because we support the Palestinians, who are majority Sunni." He added that "the Americans have sent us messages to accept the Palestinian peace plan, and our problems with you will be solved."

Velayati also mentioned the support Iran gave to Bosnian Muslims in the early 1990s as further proof that Iran does not operate along sectarian lines. He said that "the majority of Bosnian Muslims are Sunni, but the Islamic Republic provided them with a lot of defense equipment."***

http://iranpulse.al-monitor.com/index.php/2013/04/1713/khamenei-advisor-syria-golden-link-in-the-chain-of-resistance/

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".