Hamas backs Iran for retaliatory strikes on Israel in response to Damascus assault

Gaza City [Israel], April 14 (ANI): Hamas has thrown its support behind Iran following a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israel in response to a fatal assault on its consulate in Damascus, Syria, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement released on Saturday, Hamas, which governs the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, voiced solidarity with Iran, asserting the "natural right" of Middle Eastern countries and peoples to defend themselves against "Zionist aggressions."
"The military operation carried out by Iran against the Zionist entity is a natural right and a due response to the crime of targeting the consulate in Damascus," it said.
The barrage of more than 300 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones launched by Iran late on Saturday saw a high interception rate, with the Israeli military reporting that 99 per cent of the projectiles were successfully intercepted, aided by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) named the operation "True Promise," framing it as retribution for what they deemed "the Zionist entity's crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria" earlier in April, a raid that claimed the lives of 13 individuals, including three high-ranking generals from the IRGC's elite Quds Force.
While Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the consulate attack, Iran's mission to the United Nations has declared the matter "concluded" and issued a stern warning to Israel of a "considerably more severe" response should further provocations occur.
Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's joint chief of staff, delivered a message through the Swiss embassy, cautioning the United States that its bases would become targets if it backed any Israeli retaliation.
"If the US participates in further aggressive Zionist actions through its bases or military assets across the region, and this is proven to us, its bases, assets and personnel in the region will have no security," Bagheri asserted, Al Jazeera reported, citing, Tasnim news agency.
The recent escalation follows six months of conflict between Israel and Gaza, initiated by unprecedented attacks by Hamas on southern Israel in October. The ongoing conflict has resulted in a significant death toll and widespread casualties among Palestinians in Gaza.
The repercussions of the recent events have reverberated beyond Israel and Gaza, with tensions escalating on fronts with Lebanon and Syria, and long-range fire directed at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
While several Western nations have condemned Iran's actions, with the UK and France expressing concerns over military escalation, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have called for restraint. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced deep alarm over the potential for a broader regional conflict, prompting an emergency session of the UN Security Council at Israel's request, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)