Prof. Kobi Michael noted that despite Israeli control over Gaza’s borders, Iran was still giving significant aid to Hamas. Even recently, the Iranians were trying to smuggle weapons and money to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and to Hamas abroad. Hamas understands that if this regime collapses or is weakened to the degree that it will not be able to continue supporting Hamas, they are in big trouble. The assault on Iran was explicitly designed to target this infrastructure, with multiple IRGC commanders responsible for collaboration with Palestinian terror groups being neutralized in the early days of the campaign. Outlining the strategic intent behind destroying these networks, U.S. President Donald Trump explained in a briefing in early March that the military campaign ensures that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.
The full interview was published in JNS on March 22, 2026.
*The opinions expressed in Misgav publications are the authors’ alone.
