In a recent interview, al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades’ spokesperson, Abu Atayya, thanked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Quds Force and Hezbollah for supplying the militant group and the ‘Palestinian Resistance’ in its war against Israel.
‘Every missile, shell, or any tool of the Resistance, the hands of the Revolutionary Guards and the Quds Force have been credited with delivering, developing and supplying them to us and to all military arms facing the Zionist enemy,’ Atayya stated.
Furthermore, Atayya acknowledged the support it received from Hezbollah in conjunction with IRGC in arming and developing the military capabilities of the group.
‘Hezbollah has played a very important role in developing the capabilities of the Palestinian Resistance and supporting al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades from the beginning, and until this day, with the participation of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has spared no effort in developing our capabilities and arming us,’ Atayya stated.
The acknowledgement by the group’s spokesperson isn’t unprecedented. After the May 2021 Gaza-Israel conflict, Abu Atayya praised Hezbollah for the support it received in previous battles against Israel.
‘The Palestinian Resistance developed and excelled during the previous battles, thanks first to God Almighty, and then thanks to the support of the Lebanese Hezbollah for us,’ Atayya remarked.
Furthermore, statements made in 2016 by the spokesperson of the group’s self-described political wing, Popular Resistance Committees, said that Iran’s support had not stopped throughout the years. He also added that Iran provided ‘advice and guidance in many matters that people may not know and have not seen, and related to the security dimension of the Palestinian Resistance.’
Lastly, Atayya lauded the response of the Iranian Navy and the IRGC against the United States – presumably referring to recent reports of a confrontation between the two countries in the Gulf of Oman – saying that Iran dealt a severe blow to ‘American arrogance.’
The recent statements made by Abu Atayya including other Palestinian militant groups such as the PFLP, adds to the growing amount of evidence of Iranian entrenchment in Gaza, specifically its funding as well as its military support for other groups in the Gaza Strip not named Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Iran is building influence among various armed Palestinian groups by funding and arming them. The recent May conflict is an example of that support when over 4,300 rockets were fired at Israel in an eleven-day period. It’s highly unlikely the high-rate of rocket fire would have occurred, at least in part, without the guidance, funding and support by Iran.
