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French Report Details Hamas Buildup to October 7 Attacks

(Times of Israel) A report this week in the French daily Le Figaro describes Hamas' exhaustive preparations for the Oct. 7 attacks and expected reprisal, from appointing dummy commanders to take the brunt of Israel's response, to sending members on secret training missions, all while keeping the timing of the assault from all but a handful of people. Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official based in Lebanon, gave Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah a heads up just 30 minutes before the rampage kicked off. Hizbullah, which had been planning a similar assault on Israel, was not pleased. The report claimed, "The cards they had been holding for a future attack against Israel had been shown by the Palestinians: penetrating inside Israel, airborne [assaults], the element of surprise," noting a "well-known plan by Hizbullah's al-Radwan [unit] to infiltrate the Galilee." According to a Hizbullah source, Arouri "oversold" Hamas' leaders on the support they could expect from Hizbullah and others. Nasrallah, unable to commit backing, sent Arouri to Tehran, where he and Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh were told by Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that it would not be embarking on an "all-out war" against Israel, Le Figaro said. Hamas members and allies were sent to drill for the assault in Syria and Lebanon, getting them out of Gaza under the guise of sending them to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.
2023-12-29 00:00:00
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