Why has Beirut become the gateway for Hamas to deepen ties with Tehran?
Since the rearrangement of relations between Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas movement in 2017, Beirut has become a major incubator for Hamas leaders and an important hub for the Palestinian movement’s political and security presence.
This coincided with the takeover of the initiative by Yahya Al-Sinwar’s group, known as the “Security” Movement within the movement, and the exclusion of Khaled Meshaal’s wing from the political scene after years of the movement’s alignment with the “Arab Spring” revolutions, especially the Syrian revolution.
Why Beirut?
Hamas has undergone a strategic political repositioning of the movement through the assumption of the chairmanship of the former Prime Minister of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, and began to deepen relations further with Tehran, especially with Hamas losing Turkish support gradually, with improved relations between Turkey and Israel, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the weakness of Qatar’s ability to host and support Hamas leaders, in light of the preoccupation of the Qatari regime with the Arab boycott, which made Beirut an incubator for Hamas officials. In the summer of 2018, Beirut received Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, who travels between Beirut and Tehran and Ankara. However, Turkey is no longer in the same political orbit, as it sees rapprochement with Israel, which was reflected in Ankara’s inability to play the same role in hosting meetings of the movement’s leaders.
Hamas Crisis
Observers believe that the presence of Hamas in Lebanon is not only military and security, but also takes on a clear political character, as Hamas media and political media gradually moved to Beirut. Observers added that Hamas movements emerged in linking Hezbollah’s relationship with the Islamic Group after it was dispersed due to the Syrian revolution, a reconciliation that took place under the auspices of Hamas.
Lebanon was a main stop for a dialog that brought together officials of Hamas and the Syrian regime prior to the announcement of the restoration of relations between the two parties, which Hezbollah was not far from being the Arabs of rapprochement between the two parties. While several meetings between the Syrian regime and Hamas were finally announced, the movement between two options, which are bitter, either a complete turn towards Tehran, the Syrian regime or Hezbollah. This means the loss of the Arab Sunni majority, which gave Hamas a popular option, and a more gradual withdrawal of the axis; Because it also means rethinking the relationship with the Syrian regime.
