A senior Hamas official has praised Iran’s missile strikes against Israel, claiming the assault exposed the weakness of Israel’s much-touted air defence systems, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
In a statement circulated by local Palestinian media on Saturday, Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Risheq said Iran’s operation was a “strong and direct response” to years of Israeli aggression in the region.
“Despite all the hype about the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defence systems, Iranian missiles reached their targets,” al-Risheq said. “Israel will suffer from a fire it has long ignited among the peoples of the region.”
The remarks came after Iran launched Operation True Promise III, a large-scale retaliatory strike involving hundreds of ballistic missiles aimed at military sites across Israel. The operation was carried out in response to an earlier Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, which reportedly killed several high-ranking Iranian officials.
Al-Risheq described the Iranian response as “legitimate” and warned that Israel would face consequences for its continued actions in occupied territories and beyond.
“Iran’s strong response proves that no arrogance goes unchallenged, and no aggression comes without punishment,” he added.
While Israeli authorities have claimed their missile defence systems intercepted the vast majority of incoming projectiles, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) insists that several strategic targets were successfully hit, breaching the multi-layered air defence shield.
Hamas, which has long aligned itself with Iran in opposition to Israeli policies, has lauded the show of force as a turning point in the regional balance of power.
