Hezbollah and Hamas Chiefs Meet in Beirut

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Facts

  • After arriving in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian armed movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed political party and armed group, according to a Hezbollah statement released on Sunday.1
  • The statement said that the two leaders discussed 'the readiness of the axis of resistance' and cooperation regarding Israel. They also reportedly discussed 'the intensification of resistance in the West Bank and Gaza' and 'events at Al-Aqsa mosque.'2
  • Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Walid Kilani said that Haniyeh's second trip to Lebanon in less than a year followed a series of meetings over the course of several months between Nasrallah and delegations from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.3
  • A Brookings Institute report alleges that the 'axis of resistance' comprising the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad formed a joint operations room in May 2021, which Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar claims is based in Lebanon and coordinated joint activities during previous conflicts with Israel.3
  • Haniyeh's visit to Lebanon coincided with a barrage of rockets fired into Israel from southern Lebanon on Thursday prompting Israel airstrikes in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.4
  • The meeting comes as a myriad of regional developments continue to progress, including talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, confrontations between Israeli police and worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and tensions between Iran and Israel continuing to escalate.5

Sources: 1Al arabiya english, 2The hindu, 3Al, 4I24news and 5Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The times of israel. Iran is playing a dangerous game by trying to 'unify the fronts' against Israel. Iran, which supports terror groups throughout the region, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, is increasingly playing with fire by pressuring Israel, which is not afraid to flex its right to defend itself against terrorist actions. Indeed, Israel will not tolerate Iranian-backed terrorists targeting Israeli citizens.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al mayadeen english. The meeting between Haniyeh and Nasrallah is an important step in building coordination among resistance factions. Israel, which is brutalizing Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa daily and only tightening its occupation, must be confronted. With Iran and Saudi Arabia mending their ties, Israel is becoming even more afraid of a united front against it.