Iran Claims Its Afghan Proxy Battalions Ready To Support Gaza

Ebrahim Raisi's special envoy for Afghanistan has claimed that Iran has fighters ready to support the war in Gaza amid its regional proxy war against Israel and the US.

In an interview with the Afkar Network, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said, "Although Afghanistan is farther from Gaza, if necessary, more than one brigade from this country will go to support Gaza."

Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 in what was the most deadly single day for Jews since the Holocaust. Since then, Israel's relentless retaliation and the US support for its right to defend itself has sparked a regional proxy war. Iran's militias in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen have joined the fight in support of Hamas in Gaza.

Kazemi-Qomi's statement comes after the Iranian regime launched a multi-platform campaign to recruit fighters for the Hamas conflict against Israel. Despite Iranians branding it as a propaganda stunt, the regime initiated the campaign through various outlets including websites affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards and the state broadcaster.

A chyron message urging viewers to sign up and declare their readiness to be dispatched to Palestine aired during broadcasts. Additionally, Iranians received SMS messages prompting them to express their willingness to participate. The regime also established a website named "al-Aqsa Storm," mirroring Hamas's codename for its offensive into Israel, which claimed numerous civilian and military casualties, alongside the taking of hostages.

Iran's proxies are mostly made up of fighters from Shia Muslim–majority countries such as Iraq and Lebanon but Shia groups in Sunni-majority Afghanistan, its border neighbor, the