Asharq Al Awsat:

Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani has disclosed new details about Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel, saying that even the group’s top leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, were unaware of the exact timing of the operation.

In a televised interview broadcast by the Iranian Tasnim agency, Qaani said that when the Oct. 7 operation began, he was already on the way to Lebanon.

Qaani also revealed that he was thinking about how to raise the issue with Hezbollah’s then secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, and discuss what should or shouldn’t be done.

“Neither we, nor Nasrallah, nor even Hamas’ senior leadership knew the precise timing of the operation,” Qaani continued. “Ismail Haniyeh was on his way to the airport, heading to Iraq, and learned about the operation while returning.”

Qaani’s remarks, which add to the intrigue surrounding the planning of the attack, also suggested that “Nasrallah immediately began planning for the post-‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ phase.”

Haniyeh, who served as the head of Hamas’ political bureau and was among its most prominent figures, was assassinated in Tehran in July 2024 after an explosion targeted his residence in the Zafaraniyeh district. He was in the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Unlike other operations Israel has publicly claimed, it has not officially acknowledged responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing. Qaani’s name has also not appeared on any of Israel’s published target lists.

Qaani’s statements shed renewed light on the secrecy surrounding the Hamas-led assault launched from Gaza, which killed hundreds of people in Israel and triggered an unprecedented war.

Israel has long accused Iran of orchestrating or funding attacks from Gaza and Lebanon, while Tehran consistently denies direct involvement, insisting its support is political rather than military.

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