Top Israel and Iran officials have traded accusations over the ongoing war against Hamas with Tel Aviv naming Tehran among nations bank-rolling the militant group with a Sh150 billion war chest annually.
Israel has insisted cutting the financial aid to Hamas is crucial to eliminating the militant group, further alleging that Iran generated $30 billion (about Sh4.5 trillion) from illicit drugs trade and used the dirty cash to destabilise Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
However, Iran has rejected the claims, even as the Israel-Gaza war rages both in the battle field and on the international stage, with the warring factions jostling to control the messaging – and propaganda- to win support for their respective causes in the wake of rapid escalation triggered by the October 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas.
Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,400 during the raid, triggering retaliation from Israel Defence Forces that has been pounding Gaza, in an onslaught that has so far left thousands dead with no end in sight for the conflict.
In a press briefing last week, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited one of their most respected former Mossad operative-Dr Udi Levi, to give a presentation on how countries, including Iran, Turkey and Qatar are financing the war in Middle East.
The presentation also explained how the aforementioned countries are currently working with Hezbollah and Hamas, which are both listed as terrorist groups by the United Nations and the USA.
Dr Levi, the former head of Mossad’s Economic Warfare Division, warned that Hamas receives over one billion dollars (approximately Sh150 billion) annually to sustain itself and said unless the world unites in cutting off these financial flows, the Israel’s efforts to fight the group will be futile.
“In a few years, we will find ourselves again with the same monster that we saw on October 7. No country, Israel included, is investing enough efforts to prevent the money to Islamist terror organisations,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Photo credit: AFP
In another press conference, the Israel government warned of possibility of another attack.
“We remain alert after gathering intelligence that Hamas’ leadership is planning to execute another attack on Israel soil, and we have set procedures to ensure that does not happen again. We appeal to the international community to help us deal a deadly blow on Hamas, a monster waiting to kill us again,” said the spokesperson of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For this reason, Israel will not bow to pressure from human rights groups calling for a ceasefire, insisting its war against terror will be sustained until the enemy is defeated.
Israel’s Defence Force spokesperson, Major Doron Spielman, reiterated Mr Haiat’s stance saying that stopping their operation in Gaza would give Hamas the time to re-group and carry out another deadly attack on Israel.
“A ceasefire is not on the table right now. Israel has a right to self-defense. They (Hamas) are committed to the removal and destruction of Israel and this is not something we can allow,” Maj Spielman said.
Cutting off the financial aid reaching Hamas, Dr Levi said, is key to the success against the terror group.
The former intelligence chief then gave what he described as specific details on the financiers of terror in the Middle East, listing Qatar, Iran and Turkey alleging that Qatar and Iran were the main financiers of the activities of Hamas.
“The world has to understand that Qatar is the head of the snake today in financing radical elements globally…The Qataris invented the idea of the ransom payments and transfers billions of dollars are made through that system to terror organisations across the globe,” he said.
Whereas there is proof of the works of this Gulf State, Dr Levi said its financial muscle has made it very difficult to do something against them.
This picture taken from a position near Sderot along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip on November 5, 2023, shows flares dropped by Israeli forces above the Palestinian enclave amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Photo credit: AFP
Despite sanctions imposed on Iran since the revolution 45 years ago by major economies in the world including the US, Dr Levi said Iran still continues with its nuclear program and financial support for its proxy groups.
This, he said, was possible since no country, including the USA, was enforcing the full strength of the sanctions imposed on the Tehran making it very easy for Iran to circulate its money to whatever corner of the world it pleased.
The former Israeli military boss also accused Iran of destabilising Iraq by transferring essential component of its military including missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and air defense systems.
“In addition Iran is moving logistical pieces to Iraq, heavy fleets, particularly heavy trucks that serve as a kind of land bridge for transporting missiles and other military equipment to Syria,” he said.
These military equipment, Dr Levi said, are being used to fuel war in the region.
Other than using Suisse and Iraqi banks to circumvent the draconian laws meant to force Iran to comply with terms of the international community in matters of respecting humanity and denouncing terrorism, Dr Levi said Iran is using both drug and counterfeit pharmaceutical industry to maintain its financial resilience.
“This strategy of using counterfeit pharmaceuticals is to destabilise Jordan and Saudi Arabia and generating revenue. Last year alone, Iran made over 30 billion USD (approx. Sh4.5 trillion) from dealing n drugs and fake pharmaceuticals,” he said.
The proceeds from this illegal trade, the former spy chief said, are channeled to Hamas’ investment company that is active in the Middle East and the Muslim word that allows the group to earn hundreds of millions of dollars yearly.
Members of the Ezz-Al Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, parade in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2021.
Photo credit: AFP
Other than the shell companies and shadowy investment companies, Dr Levi said that Hamas also generates funds in the old-fashioned way of donations.
Here, he emphasised that most of the Non-Governmental Organisations are based in Europe which collect money for Hamas freely and whenever the organisations are shut down, they re-emerge under different names.
Iran has denied all the claims fronted by Israel regarding its alleged involvement in terrorism and trafficking of drugs and use of counterfeit pharmaceuticals to gather finances to fund Hamas or Hezbollah.
Speaking exclusively to the Saturday Nation, Iran’s Ambassador to Kenya, Dr Jafar Barmaki, said Iran, being one of the world’s largest producers of drugs (Opium, heroin and morphine) has suffered the most over drug trafficking and usually spends millions of dollars annually to prevent this vice.
“We are at the forefront of the global fight against drug trafficking. In fact, 92 percent of the world’s opium discoveries took place in Iran, and official statistics show 15 people are killed and hundreds injured in the fight against drug trafficking and counterfeit drugs,” he said.
With regards to funding Hamas, Dr Barmaki countered Israel’s claims, saying Iran is actually the biggest victim of terrorism and has faced this ominous phenomenon since its establishment, suffering heavy human and financial losses.
These losses, he said, include the martyrdom of 72 members of parliament, statesmen and politicians in the bombing on June 28, 1981, and the killing of the country’s president and prime minister at the time by terrorists in another bombing in the same year.
“There has been targeted assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists by intelligence services of the Zionist regime (Israel), the ISIS attack on the Parliament and the terrorist attacks in cities of Ahvaz, Shiraz and Chabahar are all example of terrorist attacks on the people of Iran,” he said.
Dr Barmaki also refuted claims that Iran was fueling instability in its neighbouring countries of Iraq and Syria by providing the States with deadly military weapons which are then channeled to militant groups, including Hezbollah, Hama and ISIS.
He clarified that Iran only agreed to assist the Iraqi State when it received an official request from Baghdad seeking military aid.
The ambassador said it was therefore deplorable that while Iran was working to ensure the stability of Iraq and Syria, their military leader, General Hajj Qaseem Soleimani was killed on January 3, 2020, by a US drone strike while in an operation in Baghdad.
“The forces of Iran under the command of General Hajj Qaseem Soleimani along the other nations of Iraq and Syria stood up and sacrificed the lives of the best young people of this era and dealt a major blow on ISIS,” he said.
He also cautioned against the labeling by the Western powers of Muslim States as terrorist-sponsoring nations saying such a view of terrorism served nothing but hindering the effective fight against terrorist movement and the philosophy of creating terrorist groups.
Israeli forces are deployed on the border with Gaza in southern Israel on November 5, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
The Iranian ambassador said although over 17,000 of his countrymen and women have been killed by terrorist groups, five Iranian nuclear scientists allegedly murdered by Israel as well as the murder of the “great hero” General Qassem Soleimani, the international community has closed its eyes to the atrocities.
“Instead, Iran is accused of human rights violations and terrorism. Meanwhile, Iran is the flag bearer in the fight against terrorism, it is at the forefront of the fight and is considered one of the biggest victims of the fight against terrorism,” he said.
Dr Barmaki also denied Israel’s insistence that Iran was conducting harmful nuclear programmes saying theirs are peaceful operations as they are committed to a world free from the threat of nuclear devastation.
Rather than falsely accusing Iran’s involvement in shadowy nuclear deals, the diplomat called for the international community to pressure Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to commit to the completion of its nuclear arsenal.
“Iran, as a proud member of the NPT and subject to rigorous international inspections, has consistently affirmed that its nuclear pursuits are solely for peaceful purposes,” he said.
Dr Barmaki said it was not practical for his country, currently facing the challenges fronted by the tough economic situation globally, to be pouring billions of dollars to destabilise other countries and funding Hamas.
“For 45 years, Iran has been under the most severe unilateral and cowardly sanctions of the West, and the amount of 30billion USD in this difficult economic situation of our country caused by these sanctions, is not only real, but laughable,” he said.
On where Iran stands on the Israel-Gaza war, his answer was resolute.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran stands firmly behind the aspirations of the Palestinian people and supports the efforts of resistance groups and oppressed Palestinians in their unwavering pursuit of their inherent and indisputable rights against occupation and aggression,” he said.
Attempts to get responses from both Qatar and Turkey through their Kenyan embassies did not bear fruits, with both States failing to respond to questions sent to them by time of publication.
