"No Hamas activity takes place without the direction, approval or financing of the Iranian regime": John Ratcliffe, former Director of Intelligence

Recent Hamas terrorist attacks have created a crisis in the Middle East, leaving a trail of destruction and death. So far, at least 1,300 victims, including 27 U.S. citizens, have been recorded due to these violent acts.

Amid this escalation of violence, Israel requested the intervention of the United Nations to evacuate 1.1 million civilians from northern Gaza within 24 hours. This request marks a turning point in the conflict, raising the possibility of a ground operation.

To analyze this possibility and other details of the war in Israel, Voz Media invited John Ratcliffe, the former director of National Intelligence, to speak on the matter.

During the conversation, Ratcliffe explained that, under the circumstances, a ground response was inevitable, as Israel had legal justification to protect its population and take action against war crimes.

“I think they’re going through the final preparations to do so. They’re issuing warnings to civilians to clear the area, something that very clearly Hamas didn’t do. And they’re taking every precaution to do this within the international community (...) But I fear that, ultimately, it will annihilate much of that territory as a means of retribution,” he said.

Ratcliffe also addressed the feasibility of recovering hostages alive that were taken by Hamas, highlighting that, although the United States has the best rescue teams, the recovery of these individuals represents a considerable challenge due to the terrain, conditions and the underground tunnel infrastructure used by the terrorist group.

“Very clearly, Hamas took these hostages to create leverage and great bargaining to deal with both the Israeli government and the United States government, because we we know that there are at least a number of U.S. hostages involved with that. And unfortunately, the Biden Administration has shown that they are willing to negotiate with terrorists,” he said, referring to Biden’s recent decision to release $6 billion to the Iranian regime in exchange for five American prisoners, a deal that has drawn criticism as some argue it could have influenced the current climate of conflict.

Several reports note that Iran supports the escalation of anti-Jewish violence, and there are concerns about a possible multi-pronged attack on Israel.

“By working with Hamas very clearly, no Hamas activity takes place without either the direction, approval or funding of the Iranian regime (…)representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah publicly acknowledged that they had met two weeks ago in Beirut with members of the IRGC and the Iranian regime (…) this is a harbinger for further danger and frankly, terrorism at the hands of on a multi-front approach. We’ve already seen Hezbollah now engage Israel from the north, and the full expectation is that other Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen will follow suit,” Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe also talked about how the recent uptick in conflict in the Middle East makes the United States more vulnerable to attack.

“We know that at least 150 individuals apprehended at the border are on the terrorist watch list. And and those are folks that are trying not to get caught (…)The numbers that have come in the United States, you know, are frankly hard to calculate. We just know that it's a significant number. And I fear what actions those individuals will take in support of Hamas and the Palestinian movement. You know, in the days and weeks and months to come,” he said.

Finally, Ratcliffe also referred to the foreign policy strategies that Joe Biden has executed.

“They've taken the wrong approach in Afghanistan. They've taken the wrong approach in Eastern Europe. They've taken the wrong approach with regard to the Middle East, and they've taken the wrong approach regarding Mexico and Latin America. And we're vulnerable. And the world is a less safe place because of the the Biden Administration strategies,” he said, highlighting that several countries are taking advantage of the “vacuum in leadership.”