Iran's Quds Force trained 500 Hamas terrorists for massacre of Israelis - report

Several high-profile Palestinian and Iranian leaders reportedly attended the training drills, including the Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani.

 Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions, a group which includes the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, training for a "raid behind enemy lines" at an unknown location (photo credit: JOINT ROOM FOR PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE FACTIONS VIA TELEGRAM/VIA REUTERS)
Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions, a group which includes the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, training for a "raid behind enemy lines" at an unknown location
(photo credit: JOINT ROOM FOR PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE FACTIONS VIA TELEGRAM/VIA REUTERS)

At least 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists received specialized training from the IRGC's Quds Force up to a month before the deadly October 7 massacre, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The terrorists were trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards' elite forces in Iran as recently as in September, the report noted, citing "people familiar with intelligence related to the assault."

Several high-profile Palestinian and Iranian leaders reportedly attended the training drills, including the Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani.

More than 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed in the mass infiltration and massacre of Israel's South by Hamas.

Members of a special IRGC force attend a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 29, 2022 (credit: VIA REUTERS)
Members of a special IRGC force attend a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 29, 2022 (credit: VIA REUTERS)

Iran warns of 'shockwave,' threatens missile launch at Haifa

Iranian figures had previously warned Israel of a "shockwave by the resistance front if its atrocities do not stop in Gaza," with deputy chief of the IRGC Ali Fadavi saying Iran could launch a missile at Haifa "without hesitation."

This is a developing story.