“The military operation in Gaza began with an interception of a terror squad on its way to carry out an attack on Israel. This sort of attack, challenging the highest levels [of decision makers] in Israel, wouldn’t just require approval from Tehran, but is most likely an Iranian initiative,” Avivi says.
“As we speak, the PIJ leader, [the Syria-based] Ziyad al-Nakhalah, is in Tehran, meeting the Iranian president and the IRGC commander. PIJ is an absolute proxy of Iran. Tehran funds it and runs it,” he adds.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad is an Iranian-backed militia force in the Gaza Strip, and estimations are that Tehran is funding the organization to the tune of between $30 million and $40 million a year.
Avivi, who served as the deputy commander of Israel’s Gaza Division, is well-acquainted with the heated Gaza front. READ MORE
