TEL AVIV – Al Sabireen, a Shiite-oriented, Gaza-based terrorist organization backed by Iran, is claiming that Israel over the weekend tried to eliminate the organization’s secretary- general, Hisham Salem.
The Jerusalem Post reported:
A powerful explosion targeted the home of Salem in Gaza City early on Friday, causing huge damage, the group said. No one was hurt.
Al-Sabireen (The Patient Ones), in a statement released shortly after the explosion, claimed that Israel and its “agents” were responsible for the assassination attempt against its leader.
The attack was designed to “strike at the mujahideen [holy warriors], sow the seeds of discord and deviate the resistance from its track,” it said.
“All signs prove that the Israeli occupation’s hand did it. The occupation has not spared any effort to target the secretary-general of Al-Sabireen and the leaders of the group,” the group claimed.
The group said that the latest attack would not deter it from pursuing the “path of resistance. Our rifle will continue to be directed against the Israeli occupation.” It called on Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip to open an immediate investigation into the “cowardly attack” on the home of Salem.
In December, Breitbart Jerusalem conducted an exclusive interview with Mahmoud Abu Alnada, a top Al Sabireen commander and former Islamic Jihad militant.
Spokesmen for Al-Sabireen deny any affiliation with Shi’ite ideology, though they clearly ally themselves with Iran’s ideological and political stance, and the group’s symbols are similar to those of Hezbollah.
Shi’ite Iran’s growing involvement in the Strip has caused controversy in the predominantly Sunni Palestinian society, which sees it as interventionist and missionary.
Iran has recently withheld financial support to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in Gaza following their refusal to come out against Iran’s Sunni enemies in the Middle East, chief among them Saudi Arabia.
Al Sabireen, Iran’s current beneficiary in the Gaza Strip, is only a few hundred activists strong, but it is becoming increasingly attractive to members of Islamic Jihad and other groups that have been estranged by their primary backer.
Fearing Iranian backlash, Hamas authorities are reluctant to crack down on the organization. However, Salafi elements have already staged stabbing and bombing attacks against Al Sabireen members, who are accused of trying to impose Shia Islam on the population.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
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