Israel’s “aggression” on Iran is an escalation against the region, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Friday.

“We call for expanding the scale of the engagement against the (Israeli) occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region,” said Abu Zuhri.

Hamas leaders have frequently praised Iran for its financial and military support to the group, and other Palestinian militants, including during the current war with Israel which began on Oct 7.