Hamas and Hezbollah leaders meet to discuss response to Israel-UAE deal

The leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah have met to discuss their response to the diplomatic détente between Israel and several Gulf states.

Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah met the visiting Hamas political chief Ismail Haniya late last week in an undisclosed location and said later that the “axis of resistance” against Israel enjoyed “stability”.

Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is a Shi’ite militia whose politicians jointly govern the country, while Hamas is a Sunni Islamist organisation and de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip.

Pictures released by Hezbollah’s news agency show Haniyeh being given a hero’s welcome at Ain al-Helweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, while a statement said the two men discussed “the dangers to the Palestinian cause,” including the normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab states.

Addressing cheering crowds, Haniyeh said: “Not long ago, our rockets only reached metres from Gaza’s borders. Today, the resistance in Gaza possesses rockets that can reach Tel Aviv and beyond Tel Aviv.”