(Ha'aretz) Muhammad Shehada - Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhallah has speeded up the transformation of his group into an Iranian proxy, operated by an on/off switch by Tehran to stir up trouble in Gaza whenever Iran needs to create a distraction, retaliation or send a message. In recent months, Iran has expressed its disapproval of a possible long-term Hamas-Israeli cease-fire. An Israel that no longer needs to deal with Gaza would allow it more time, energy and resources to fight the Iranian presence in Syria. While Iran's financial support for Hamas has dramatically decreased over the last decade, its support to the Islamic Jihad has dramatically increased. Hamas militants haven't received any salaries for several months, while Islamic Jihad has handed out increases to the monthly stipends of its members. A few Hamas members have defected to join Islamic Jihad for the superior financial comfort. Islamic Jihad is becoming increasingly untamable.
2019-03-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive