Iran's foreign minister: Armed groups are poised with 'their finger on the trigger'

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/27/ [login to see] /irans-foreign-minister-armed-groups-are-poised-with-their-finger-on-the-trigger
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says groups allied with Iran are prepared to strike if Israel's war against Hamas continues.

In an interview with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep that took place in New York City, Amir-Abdollahian said he had met with "leaders of the resistance in Lebanon and also Palestinian groups" in recent weeks and heard of plans that are "more powerful and deeper than what you've witnessed."

"If this situation continues, and women and children and civilians are still killed in Gaza and the West Bank, anything will be possible," Abdollahian said.

Iran sponsors numerous militant groups in the region. Over the years it has trained and armed proxy militia groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Gaza, where Hamas has ruled since 2007.

The U.S. State Department says Iran has long provided weapons and support for Hamas. Ali Barakeh, a senior Hamas official based in Beirut has said that Iran provided "help and support" for its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel where Israeli authorities say the group killed more than 1,400 people and took some 220 hostages.