Palestinian Group Affirms Tehran’s Right to Defend Itself but Warns Against Strikes on Gulf States.
A rare public plea: Hamas backs Iran’s right to fight — but asks it to stop hitting neighboring countries.
Hamas on Saturday called on Iran to avoid targeting neighboring countries, even as it reaffirmed Tehran’s right to defend itself against Israel and the United States.
In a statement — its first public appeal of this kind — the Palestinian group urged “the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighboring countries,” while endorsing Iran’s right to respond “by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws.”
The appeal comes as the war that began on Feb. 28 continues to expand across the Middle East, with missile and drone strikes reaching multiple countries in the Gulf.
Qatar said it intercepted two missiles over Doha on Saturday, after explosions were heard in the capital and authorities evacuated parts of the city. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar said it remains under a shelter-in-place directive for emergency personnel.
Hamas, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization, also called on the international community to “work towards halting” the conflict immediately.
The group had previously condemned the killing of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, describing it as a “heinous crime” and acknowledging his longstanding support for the Palestinian cause.
Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since been named supreme leader. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded.
A Hamas official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the group has been in contact with Iranian officials and has also reached out to governments in Qatar, Türkiye, and Iraq in an effort to de-escalate the crisis.
“The Israeli occupation seeks to sow discord between Iran and its Arab and Islamic neighbors,” the official said.
The plea highlights growing concern that the conflict is straining Iran’s regional alliances.
While Tehran has launched missile and drone attacks on at least 10 countries since the war began, its Lebanese ally Hezbollah has intensified rocket fire against Israel, prompting Israeli strikes that Lebanese authorities say have killed nearly 800 people.
More than 1,200 people have reportedly been killed in Iran, according to Iranian officials. At least 13 U.S. service members have died since the U.S. and Israel began their campaign.
Hamas’s statement suggests unease even among Iran’s partners about the widening scope of the war — and the risk that regional solidarity could fracture if civilian populations in neighboring states bear the cost.
