Hamas urges Iran to spare neighbours from bombings

• Palestinian group affirms Tehran’s right to retaliate against ‘Zionist aggression’

• Calls for immediate international action to halt wider conflict

GAZA CITY: The Palestinian re­­sistance movement Hamas on Sat­urday called on its ally Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries in its ‘righteous’ struggle, while strongly affirming Tehran’s right to defend itself against aggression from Israel and the United States.

In a carefully worded appeal, Hamas also urged the international community to take immediate steps to end the devastating war that has engulfed the Middle East since it began on Feb 28.

“While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries,” Hamas said in a statement, its first such public appeal to Tehran.

The statement comes as Iran, despite facing superior US and Israeli firepower, has retaliated with missile and drone attacks against at least 10 countries in response to the assassination of its supreme leader.

Israeli strikes have killed nearly 800 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

In response, Hamas’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets at northern Israel since joining the war, forcing Israeli settlers to fee.

Hamas, which faced a devastating Israeli onslaught in Gaza, called on the international community to “work towards halting” the Middle East conflict immediately.

The movement previously condemned the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war as a “heinous crime,” openly acknowledging his steadfast and longstanding support for the Palestinian resistance.

“He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause and our resistance,” the movement said soon after his death.

A Hamas official, speaking to AFP, confirmed that the movement has been in direct contact with Iranian officials regarding the attacks in the Gulf. He explained the statement was aimed at foiling enemy plots to divide the region.

“The Israeli occupation seeks to sow discord between Iran and its Arab and Islamic neighbours,” the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.

“Hamas’s leadership has also reached out to officials in several countries, including Qatar, Turkiye and Iraq, urging them to work towards halting the American and Zionist aggression against the Isla­mic Republic of Iran,” he added.

Hamas’s appeal is notable given that Tehran has long been one of the group’s most important backers in its cause. The call is not a shift in strategy but a wise attempt to maintain a unified front, analysts said.

“Perhaps this statement came late and should have been issued at the start of the war to condemn Iran’s attacks on Gulf states,” Jamal al-Fadi, a professor of international relati­ons at Al-Azhar University in Gaza said, noting that the group is skilfully trying to navigate “Gulf and Arab pressures”.

Under the supreme leader Khamenei, Iran viewed support for Palestinian groups such as Hamas as a central pillar of its regional strategy against the Zionist entity and its Western allies.

Several major Sunni-majority states have also maintained crucial ties with Hamas, especially Qatar and Turkiye. Qatar has been a key financial supporter for Gaza during Hamas’s rule, with much of its funding providing vital humanitarian and reconstruction aid.

Qatar has also hosted Hamas’s political leadership in Doha, allowing the group to maintain international contacts and participate in important negotiations.

Turkiye, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president, has provided strong political and diplomatic backing, supporting Hamas rhetorically and hosting visits by its leaders.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2026

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