An Iranian-made weapon produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran was identified in Gaza on Saturday, according to a video released by an IDF spokesman posted on the official "IDF Farsi" X account. The weapon was inscribed with Persian writing, indicating its origin likely being from Iran.
The finding of the weapon is significant, as it can be used to provide evidence of Iran's involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel.
"Do you remember when the leader of the Islamic Republic said they were not involved in the events of October 7?" asked the IDF spokesman. "The Iranian-made G3 rifle that was found in Gaza reflects Iran's involvement."
این اسلحه ساخت #جمهوری_اسلامی در #غزه پیدا شده و روی آن نشانه فارسی وجود دارد.یادتان هست رهبر جمهوری اسلامی گفتند ما در کشتار ۷ اکتبر دخالتی نداشتیم؟ pic.twitter.com/vB7ipkO1EZ
— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) February 17, 2024
Time for Iran to be held accountable?
This finding is not the first attempt to reveal the Islamic Republic's involvement in the October 7 attacks.
Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed in a federal US court by a group of 67 US and Israeli nationals asserting that Iran stands behind both the planning and financing of the October 7 massacre.
The lawsuit was filed with the intent of seeking restitution from Tehran for the brutal attack.
The formal complaint, obtained by The Jerusalem Post, provides 12 factual allegations which seek to prove the Islamic Republic’s liability.
Despite the evidence being piled up against Iran, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Dr. Raz Zimmt, believes that it is highly unlikely that Iran will ever take responsibility.
“Iran has undoubtedly been involved in aid and support to Hamas for years through training, technology, and financial support,” he stated.
"One should not rule out the possibility that within the framework of coordination and consultations in the past couple of years between senior Hamas officials and senior officials in the IRGC and Hezbollah, the option of implementing such a plan was also discussed," Zimmt said. "But in my estimation, Iran was surprised at the very least by the timing of the action, if not by other details.”
Ohad Merlin contributed to this report.