TEHRAN- The relationship between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been praised by a senior member of the movement, who described the links as “deep-seated and strategic.”

The alliance between the Gaza-based resistance movement, Iran, Syria, and the Lebanese Hezbollah ensures military capability and greater performance, Ihsan Ataya, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad political bureau, said on Thursday. 

He emphasized that his movement is ready to “pay any cost” for the ultimate objective of freeing the occupied Palestinian territories, saying that Islamic Jihad “aligns with any party that stands up against the Zionist regime and the United States.”

Ataya went on to describe the Islamic Jihad as a beacon of hope on the path towards liberating Palestine, highlighting that the occupying Tel Aviv regime is not the worst enemy of the Palestinian nation, rather a broad coalition led by Washington.

“The Zionist enemy exiled a number of Jihad commanders to Lebanon, but we were able to develop the movement in Beirut and Damascus,” he said.

The top Islamic Jihad leader emphasized that the Israeli regime is looting the whole region’s resources, pointing to the thief of Palestinian territories by Zionists via mass massacres.

“We cannot forge relations with the United States as Washington and Tel Aviv are two sides of the same coin,” Ataya pointed.

Back on June 19, the Islamic Jihad leader praised Iran’s ongoing support for Palestinians, stating that the Islamic Republic continues to be the only country in the world to publicly support Palestine and the anti-Israeli resistance. 

“Iran dares to declare its support for the Palestinian people and resistance. No other country in the world takes such an explicit stance,” said Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhaleh in an interview with the Tehran-based al-Alam television news network.

Back in June, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei met with Ziyad Nakhala in Tehran. 

In the meeting, the Leader congratulated the Islamic Jihad on its recent victory over Israel, saying that the present conditions of the Israeli regime are very different from 70 years ago. 

“Today, the Zionist enemy is in a position of passivity and reaction, and this situation shows that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and resistance groups have correctly identified the path and are moving forward in this direction with prudence,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

Underlining that it will not be possible to achieve big goals without taking a risk, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Today, by God's grace, the strength and credibility of the Palestinian resistance groups and Islamic Jihad is increasing day by day, and the recent defeat of the Zionist regime in the 5-day war confirms this.”

The five-day war refers to the fighting between Islamic Jihad and the Zionist regime in May.

He continued, “The Islamic Jihad of Palestine aced the test in the recent battle of Gaza, and now the conditions for the Zionist regime have changed compared to seventy years ago, and the Zionist leaders have the right to worry about not seeing the eightieth anniversary of this regime.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian resistance groups have found the main key to fighting the Zionist regime. “The growing power of the resistance groups in the West Bank is the key to bringing the Zionist enemy to its knees, and this path must continue,” he added. 

The Leader appreciated the move by Palestinian resistance groups to achieve political unity in the battlefield and described it as “very important.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized the continuation of the support of the Islamic Republic to the Palestinian people and resistance groups.