Iran International Reporter Tours Hamas Tunnel Under Shifa Hospital

In an interview with Iran International, Senator Claire Chandler voiced her concerns about Iran's influence in using proxies to spread terror and violence globally. Attacks by IRGC operatives have been thwarted across the globe, in countries including the UK, Cyprus and Azerbaijan.

Chandler emphasized the link between the Islamic Republic of Iran and entities like Hamas and Hezbollah, both known for their involvement in acts of terror, referring to the current war in Gaza, triggered by the October 7 of Hamas in Israel, killing 1,200 mostly civilians. Since then, increasing attacks from Hezbollah on Israel's north have meant 150,000 Israelis have been displaced from north and south Israel.

“We know that the Islamic Republic of Iran regime funds Hamas, which is obviously causing so much terror and violence currently in the Middle East. They founded Hezbollah. And of course, are closely linked with the IRGC,” noted Chandler.

She underscored the role of the IRGC in these activities, urging the Australian government to designate it as a terrorist organization. The Australian Senate had recommended such a designation in February, but Canberra has indicated legal uncertainties surrounding the matter.

In 2019, the United States, under the Trump administration, designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist group amidst escalating tensions with Iran following Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. In response, Tehran designated the US military as a terrorist group. Other countries such as the UK, Canada and France, have so far hesitated to follow suit but have sanctioned the organization and individuals linked to it heavily.

Hundreds of police participated in the operations which were carried out in Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the German government officially banned any activity in support of Hamas, which had already been designated as a terrorist group in the country.

Following the ban, the activities of Samidoun, an international pro-Palestinian network, was also declared illegal after its celebrations in the streets of Berlin after Hamas’s deadly onslaught on Israel on October 7 which killed 1,200 mostly civilians and saw 240 more taken to Gaza.

“With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel,” said German interior minister Nancy Faeser in a statement.

"We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists," she vowed, adding that “Islamists and antisemites cannot and must not feel safe anywhere here.”

According to Germany’s intelligence sources, around 450 Hamas members live in the country, helping finance the terror group.

Germany has beefed up security measures to protect its Jewish citizens who have been the targets of antisemitic attacks since October 7 as global antisemitism soars amidst the war.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the European Union, the US, and many other Western countries.

In a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said “if Iran were pursuing such a goal, it would lead to a significant change in the overall conditions in the region.”

However, the foreign minister traveled to Beirut for discussions on the situation in Gaza with Iran's largest proxy, Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziad al-Nakhalah and Hamas' Khalil al-Hayya on Thursday.

The leadership in Tehran has had multiple meetings during the course of this year with heads of its proxies in the lead up to the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and 240 taken hostage to Gaza.

Israel's relentless retaliation has seen the worst bloodshed since Hamas took over the strip in 2007, vowing to take out the proscribed terror group once the hostages have been returned.

Iran has consistently made similar statements in the past four weeks while expressing support for Hamas and celebrating the attacks across Iran. Since October 7, Iran's proxies across the region have targeted Israel, from Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, making it ever more difficult for Tehran to deny its involvement in a conflict which has claimed thousands of lives.

The president highlighted the 66 attacks carried out by militia groups affiliated with the IRGC against US personnel and facilities in the region, causing injuries and placing lives at risk. The uptick followed the outbreak of the war in Gaza, in which the US quickly stated its backing of Israel's right to defend itself following the Iran-backed invasion of October 7, the single most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Biden stated that on October 27, November 10, and November 14, Washington conducted targeted strikes against facilities in Syria used by the IRGC and its affiliated groups.

"The strikes were taken to deter future attacks and were conducted in a manner designed to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties. I directed the strikes to protect and defend our personnel conducting military operations pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force," explained President Biden.

Iran has denied direct involvement in the Gaza conflict, but its proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, have initiated attacks against both Israel and US forces.

The attacks by Iran-affiliated groups have resulted in at least 62 US personnel sustaining minor injuries or traumatic brain injuries.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that the attack was repelled by the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

“The drones were shot down while the US warship was on patrol in the Red Sea,” added the report.

According to CENTCOM, “the ship and crew sustained no damage or injury.”

The attack came hours after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shot down a cruise missile over the Red Sea before it could infiltrate into the Israeli territory.

The missile, which targeted Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, was believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthis, The Times of Israel reported.

On November 15, the Hudner engaged another drone that originated from Yemen. The US Defense Department said in a statement regarding the attack that the drone “was heading in the direction of the ship.”

Since Hamas’s deadly onslaught on Israel on October 7, Yemen’s Houthis, backed by the Iranian regime, have launched several drone and missile attacks against US and Israeli targets in the region.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Yemen's Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement after the hijacking of the ship, calling it “an act of Iranian terrorism.”

Though the Islamic Republic has avoided any direct involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the regime has used its proxy groups in the region such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israel and American targets.