Report: Hamas leader says hundreds of militants trained in Iran, Syria - Haaretz

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Tue., March 11, 2008 Adar2 5, 5768

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		Hamas militants training in the Gaza Strip. (AP)

Last update - 17:51 09/03/2008

Report: Hamas leader says hundreds of militants trained in Iran, Syria

By Ruth Margalit, Haaretz Service

Tags: Iran, Syria, Yuval Diskin

Hamas has sent hundreds of militants to train in Iran and Syria in the past two years, a commander in the Iz al-Din al-Qassam military wing of Hamas said in a rare interview with The Sunday Times of London.

Speaking on the record but on condition of anonymity, the Hamas commander, already a senior figure in his late twenties, told the British newspaper that Hamas had been sending militants to Iran for training in both field tactics and weapons technology since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. Others, he said, go to Syria for more basic training.

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We have sent seven 'courses' of our fighters to Iran," he said in the interview. "During each course, the group is trained to increase our capacity to fight."

The most promising members of each group stay longer for an advanced course and return as trainers themselves, he said, adding "We send our best brains to Tehran. It would be a waste of money to send them and then have them come back with nothing."

The report confirms assessments made by Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin last week in a speech in front of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

"Hundreds of Hamas members have been sent to Iran for training, and not training periods of a week, two weeks or a month, but for long-term, high-quality training," committee member MK Zvi Hendel (National Union) quoted Diskin as saying last Tuesday.

The Sunday Times' report suggests that these assessments were right and that so far, 150 members of Hamas' military wing have completed training in Tehran, where they study for between 45 days and six months at a closed military base under the command of the elite Revolutionary Guard force.

An additional 150 are currently undergoing training in Tehran, the commander said.

Conditions at the base are strict, he said, adding that a further 650 Hamas militants have trained in Syria under instructors who were themselves trained in Iran. Sixty-two Hamas militants are currently in Syria, he said.

The commander continued to praise the Iranian and Syrian training systems, saying the militants "come home with more abilities that we need, such as high-tech capabilities, knowledge about land mines and rockets, sniping, and fighting tactics like the ones used by Hezbollah [during the Second Lebanon War], when they were able to come out of tunnels from behind the Israelis and attack them successfully."

He further told his interviewers that Hamas was modeling itself on Hezbollah. "We don't have tanks. We don't have planes. We are street fighters and we will use our own ways," he said.

Related articles:

Shin Bet chief: Chances of fresh Intifada are low

Palestinians: Hamas, Hezbollah cooperated on Jerusalem terror attack

Shin Bet director: Hundreds of Hamas men being trained in Iran

IDF: Iran providing direct military training to Palestinian militants

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1.	It seems they can travel wherever they want	12:42	\|	MR	09/03/08

2.	yes MR and you can hide in your basement in NYC	12:58	\|	fida`iyeen	09/03/08

3.	To#1: There are always ways for few	13:01	\|	pal	09/03/08

4.	Even though Israel has never done anything to harm Iran,	13:40	\|	Michael	09/03/08

5.	Its all part of building a Palestinian "State".	14:00	\|	Stephen.	09/03/08

6.	Oh WOW! Such BIG, BRAVE, FIGHTERS!	14:00	\|	Nechama	09/03/08

7.	the zionist entity get 3 billion in weapons welfare from USA	14:32	\|	fida`iyeen	09/03/08

8.	A CLEAR CAUSE TO FIGHT FOR	15:07	\|	indrajaya	09/03/08

9.	Can any body say...DUH	15:16	\|	Doc Holliday	09/03/08

10.	Hamas and its crazy ideology.	15:33	\|	Jean Van Daem	09/03/08

11.	i am sure the bbc will twist this or pretend it is not known	15:48	\|	ralph	09/03/08

12.	i am sure the bbc will twist this or pretend it is not known	15:48	\|	ralph	09/03/08

13.	trained in iran	15:50	\|	Shmuelshachor	09/03/08

14.	DAYENU	15:50	\|	Will	09/03/08

15.	LIES.HOW COULD THEY GIVE SUCH SENSITIVE INFO TO JEWISH REPORTERS?	15:52	\|	JACKAL	09/03/08

16.	Yeh Gaza is still occupied - right	15:57	\|	Wally	09/03/08

17.	Failure of leadership	15:57	\|	Nathaniel	09/03/08

18.	Bomb the planes or boats carrying the trainees	15:59	\|	Conroy	09/03/08

19.	More reason to bomb Iran and Syria	16:00	\|	Level Iran	09/03/08

20.	pal # 3 syria and iran is using you as their whores	16:01	\|	terrornator	09/03/08

21.	Why doesn`t Israel bomb Iran and Syria a bit?	16:12	\|	Questionmark	09/03/08

22.	looks like the times conducted an interviw with an israeli agent.	16:16	\|	Sam	09/03/08

23.	Balance of Power	16:39	\|	Shlomo	09/03/08

24.	Unilateral concessions....	16:50	\|	Shalom -	09/03/08

25.	All Hamas members and their supporters are a fair target	16:58	\|	Eli	09/03/08

26.	Hamas and brains don`t combine	17:03	\|	ScotGuy	09/03/08

27.	Another that`s sruprising	17:27	\|	Dan	09/03/08

28.	Great news	18:12	\|	..._	09/03/08

29.	High time to cut the terrorism head off.	18:16	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	09/03/08

30.	Brains? Hamas is a cancer, no brains, just death	19:07	\|	David	09/03/08

31.	Cowardly Iran Will Exhaust All Its Proxy Fighters First Before ..	19:33	\|	Lavi	09/03/08

32.	#2 f ida`iyeen - Where are you hiding??	19:35	\|	* BEN JABO	09/03/08

33.	no problem Indrajaya,if you want we`ll kill everyone of them	19:38	\|	yourworstnightmare	09/03/08

34.	Iran Traning	20:05	\|	BRL	09/03/08

35.	I guess if you steal land...	20:11	\|	John	09/03/08

36.	Terror trainers	20:33	\|	Paul	09/03/08

37.	Big Brave Boys!!	22:07	\|	Mick the Brit	09/03/08

38.	#37 Mick The Brit	14:59	\|	* BEN JABO	10/03/08

39.	a friend of israel	16:59	\|	kader	10/03/08

40.	#21 Israel bomb Iran and Syria a bit?????	17:41	\|	ABOOD	10/03/08

41.	#40 ABOOB	03:02	\|	* BEN JABO	11/03/08

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