Iranian Clerics Signing Up Volunteers to Fight Israelis in Gaza

Hard-line Iranian clerics, enraged at the airstrikes direct by Israel at Hamas in the Gaza Strip, are doing all they can to enlist the aid of volunteers to fight in the area, drawing some comparisons to the influx of foreign jihadists that came to Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The Fars news agency has reported recently that "From Monday the Combatant Clergy Society has activated its website for a week to register volunteers to fight against the Zionist regime [Israel] in either the military, financial or propaganda fields."

The recent airstrikes, which have killed over 300 Palestinians, continued yesterday as Israel vowed to rid the area of Hamas influence. Meanwhile, Muslim leaders are gathering and issuing rhetoric-laden statements that are sure to ramp up tensions between the two sides. Iran, which refuses to recognize Israel, has allegedly provided weapons and other aid to Hamas. But Iran refutes such claims by Israel, noting that it provides only aid to the region. Said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi, "Iran has dispatched its first plane load of aid, including medicine, to Gaza on Sunday. The second cargo is on the verge of being dispatched. The aircraft arrived in Egypt last night."

The recent turmoil promises to prove troublesome for the incoming Obama administration in the States. With an agenda that focuses on correcting the domestic problems facing the U.S., Obama no doubt hoped to have things quiet on the foreign fronts. With the recent unrest in the Middle East and Russian military exercises designed to indicate a show of power, it looks as though the fledgling administration will have more than just a weak economy and credit crisis to deal with come January 20, 2009.