United States intelligence agencies have reviewed information that suggests Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas’ attack on Israel, suggesting that the country had little to no direct involvement in the start of the conflict, officials told TheNew York Times. The intelligence indicates that Iranian leaders were caught off guard by the attack and, despite Iran arming Hamas over the years, did not directly aid in the effort, the Times reported. “We have said since the beginning: Iran is complicit in this attack in a broad sense because they have provided the lion’s share of the funding for the military arm of Hamas,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the Times. “They have provided training, they have provided capabilities.” Although early intelligence suggests no direct link, officials are reportedly keeping an open mind and have not entirely ruled out a connection.
