Canadian Ambassador to UN Says Iran Involved in Israel Attack

Israeli soldiers look at the remains of a police station that was the site of a battle following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, on Oct. 8, 2023. Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations says it’s “clear” that Iran is involved in the attacks currently taking place on Israel.

Bob Rae told Vassy Kapelos, the host of CTV’s Question Period, in an interview on Oct. 8 that there was “no question in [his] mind” that Iran is involved. “That’s very clear to me,” said Mr. Rae.

“I don’t know how you can come up with another conclusion,” he added.

Mr. Rae called the attack a “brutal” act of terrorism, especially “the parading of hostages through Gaza.”

“And I think it’s something we have to understand. None of this stuff is accidental, and Iran, of all the countries in the Middle East, does not accept the existence of the State of Israel,” said Mr. Rae, adding that Iran “has made it clear that it wants the elimination of the State of Israel. And so that’s their objective.”

“Intelligence admittedly has failed us in many different ways,” Mr. Rae said. “But I do think intelligence is pretty clear that the Iranians are very actively engaged in supporting forces outside their country that seek the destruction of Israel. That’s not paranoia. That’s evidence, and we know that.”

An aerial view shows vehicles on fire as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip into Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Oct. 7, 2023. Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

Hamas launched land, air, and sea attacks against Israel on Oct. 7. According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus late that day, “More than 3,000 rockets have been fired at Israel, aimed at Israeli civilians, and unfortunately they have claimed a heavy toll in human life.”

The terrorists also kidnapped and dragged into Gaza both Israeli soldiers and civilians, including women and children, the IDF said.

Israel declared a state of war in response to the attacks and has conducted air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s foreign ministry has said the attack on Israel was “self-defence” by Palestinians and called on Islamic countries to support “the rights of the Palestinian people.”

“This operation ... is the spontaneous movement of resistance groups and Palestine’s oppressed people in defence of their inalienable rights and their natural reaction to the Zionists’ warmongering and provocative policies,” Iranian state media quoted ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani as saying.

State television showed parliament members in Iran rising from their seats on Oct. 7 and chanting “Death to Israel” and “Palestine is victorious, Israel will be destroyed.”

Mr. Rae said more news was expected to be released on Oct. 8 about the hostages, with reports that Hamas will likely attempt to trade hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese Islamic group inspired by the Iranian revolution and described by Public Safety Canada as “one of the most technically capable terrorist groups in the world,” also said it had launched strikes against Israel “in solidarity” with Hamas, reported Agence France-Presse.

“Hezbollah is under the control of Iran, just as Hamas is,” Mr. Rae said. “This is a war that I firmly believe is being fuelled and directed—and the technology is being used and all of the education that’s been applied as to how to do this—it’s coming out of Iran.”

Reuters contributed to this report.