“Iran is a major player but we can’t yet say if it was involved in the planning or training,” said R Adm Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces.

In a report published on 4 October, the Tasnim news agency said the representative spoke to participants about the need for “all Islamist parties to do everything in their power to liberate al-Quds [Jerusalem]”.

Hamas used Iranian technology and logistical support to produce arms locally, he said, but it is thought to be mainly reliant on smuggling weapons from its tunnels under its border with Egypt.

Some Hamas social media accounts claim the Iranian army is eager to send drones into action, but most observers think any escalation into a multipronged war is more likely to come from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Across the Gulf, Arab leaders, united in seeking to de-escalate the violence ideally through a prisoner swap, were at odds over how to attribute responsibility for the attacks.

So far Saudi Arabia, the country on which the politics of the region will turn, has responded to the attacks by being strongly critical of Israel’s failure to negotiate a peace settlement with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

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