Iran threatening to cut Hamas funds, arms supply if it flees Syria

[oberliner]

Iran had applied intense pressure to Hamas in an effort to persuade it not to leave Damascus, threatening even to cut off funds to the organization if it did so, Palestinian sources have told Haaretz.

The Iranian pressure also included an unprecedented ultimatum - namely, an explicit threat to stop supplying Hamas with arms and suspend the training of its military activists.

According to the sources, Hamas is abandoning its headquarters in Syria and looking at other Arab states as an alternative location for its political command center. Hamas' move comes despite intense Iranian pressure on the organization to refrain from relocating.

A Syrian opposition spokesman said recently that once Assad is toppled, his successors will have no intention of preserving the strategic alliance between Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/iran-threatening-to-cut-hamas-funds-arms-supply-if-it-flees-syria-1.399612

The sands they are a-shifting. Breathe deep!

[madrchsod]

1. the writing is on the wall for hamas.....

iran is a long way from hamas`s base camp.

[bemildred]

2. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah makes rare appearance

REPORTING FROM BEIRUT -- Making a rare public appearance, the leader of Hezbollah struck a defiant note Tuesday, warning those “banking on change” that the militant Shiite Muslim group in Lebanon is continuing to build its military arsenal.

The surprise appearance by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah at a rally to commemorate the Shiite festival of Ashura appeared calculated to instill confidence in supporters at a time of upheaval in the Arab world, including in Syria, a key backer that has come under growing international pressure for its bloody crackdown on protests.

Ashura, one of the holiest days on the Shiite calendar, commemorates the 7th century killing of the prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.

Nasrallah has rarely been seen in public since 2006, when Hezbollah fought a 34-day war with Israel. Arab television networks showed the leader, flanked by black-clad bodyguards, wading through a throng of ecstatic supporters in his stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/hezollah-leader-sheik-hassan-nasrallah-makes-rare-appearance.html

[azurnoir]

3. Report: Hamas seeks 'soft exit' from Syria

Hamas has ordered the departure of nearly all its staff at its Damascus headquarters by next week following pressure from Turkey and Qatar, a US newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal quoted a Hamas official saying the two regional US allies were trying to isolate Syrian President Bashar Assad amid an eight-month crackdown on antiregime protests.

Hamas will establish new headquarters in Cairo and Qatar to replace its operations in Syria, the official told the Journal, apparently on the condition of anonymity.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=443008