While it relies on money from Iran and Qatar to survive, a Hamas spokesperson recently claimed that Hamas' leadership is independent and will not be expected to return political favors to external patrons, reports the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
Iran will not pressure Hamas to normalize ties with the Assad regime, for example, Sami Abu Zuhri said. His comments signal the terrorist group's growing confidence, despite its increasing reliance on state patrons.
A Hamas delegation led by senior official Mahmoud al-Zahar, met with top Iranian regime figures Dec. 23 to discuss strengthened coordination.
During Hamas' visit, Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani railed against the "Zionist regime" and the Ayatollah's senior adviser, Ali-Akbar Velyati, said the only way to confront Israel is through "resistance."
Israel's enemies often use the vague term "resistance" to justify violence and terrorism against Israelis.
According to the Meir Amit report, Velyati "called on the Palestinians to continue resisting until their final victory" – the destruction of the Jewish state.
Ties between Hamas and Iran have grown rapidly over the past couple of years. Hamas initially opposed the Assad regime following the onset of Syria's civil war, leading Iran to virtually sever ties to the terrorist organization.
Iran reduced financial assistance for Hamas, cutting aid by $23 million a month in 2013. But since Assad started to gain the upper hand in the conflict, Iran and Hamas – and even Hizballah – have restored close cooperation.
"Our [Hamas'] relations with Iran and Hizballah have returned to their natural path and we intend to develop these relations," Al-Zahar said early this year in an interview on Al-Quds TV, Israel Hayom reported.
A year ago, Hamas deputy political chief Salah Al-Arouri, a co-founder of the Hamas terrorist arm called the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, boasted about Hamas' ties with Iran and Hizballah, and formally credited the Islamic Republic for arming Palestinian terrorist groups.
"Who supports the resistance in Gaza and Palestine? Iran. It is Iran and Hizballah that confront that entity [Israel] along with us," said Al-Arouri in a December 2017 interview on Al-Quds TV and reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Al-Arouri admitted that "the aid Iran provides to the resistance is not merely symbolic" and that "nobody but Iran gives us [Palestinian terrorist groups] any military support."
A lot has changed since the start of Syria's civil war – including a reinvigorated Iran-Hamas partnership that has emboldened the Palestinian terrorist organization.