A senior figure in the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the organization received "direct orders" from the late Iranian Quds force commander Qassem Soleimani up until his assassination in a US airstrike last year, and that rockets supplied by the Iranians were used to attack Israel.

Speaking during a December interview with the Iranian al-Alam TV, the secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhaleh, said "nothing happened [in Gaza] without his direct orders and supervision," according to a translation this week by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

This came in addition to Soleimani’s efforts to supply the PIJ with modern missiles, and weapons, including those used to attack Israel’s economic and technological hub, Tel Aviv.

"It was almost miraculous. It was very expensive in terms of technology, security, and capabilities" al-Nakhaleh said, adding "I can say that the missiles that [Soleimani] delivered to the Gaza Strip were the ones used to attack Tel Aviv. I can say that Hajj Qassem played a pivotal role in the fact that the Palestinians ventured to attack the capital of the Zionist entity."

The PIJ chief explained that Soleimani personally supervised and managed the transport of missiles in "complex operations" from Syria, to Sudan, to the Gaza Strip, adding that he personally visited Sudan to ensure the shipments were a success. (...)

The local manufacturing of rockets in the Gaza Strip is also attributed to Soleimani’s guidance, according to al-Nakhaleh. "This is a great and important issue, and without a doubt played a role in strengthening the Palestinian resistance." adding that, "[Soleimani] did not train [the Palestinians] himself, obviously, but he gave instructions to the experts who supervised these matters."