Rockets are launched by Palestinian militants into Israel, in Gaza May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

The Israeli army on Wednesday shot down a so-called armed suicide drone carrying explosives and launched by the Hamas militant group at Israel, showing similarities to unmanned aircraft used by Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” — the latest sign of Tehran’s role in developing the tools of terror now being used against the Jewish state.

Boasting about the attack, Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades released a video of the Shihab suicide drone, which crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

“As far back as at least 2015, a US Army report warned that Iran was providing know-how on assembling suicide drones to Hamas and Hezbollah. Such knowledge and technology has contributed to the advancement of Hamas’ arsenal. This UAV pipeline has existed for years, and the similarities between Hamas’ Shihab drone and others in Iran’s Axis of Resistance is not surprising,” Jason M. Brodsky, senior Middle East analyst and editor at Iran International told The Algemeiner.

According to the Washington, DC-based think tank Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Ramez Al-Halabi said in a May 7 TV interview that the rockets used to pound Tel Aviv have Iran’s signature on them, and that weapons used by the militant group are bought with Iranian money.

“It is they [Iran] who support us with weapons, money, and food,” the group quoted Al-Halabi saying, adding that he claimed the faction’s members had been trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“In this round of fighting, we have also seen Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants brag about how the introduction of the Badr-3 rocket, which was reportedly launched at Ashkelon, was made possible by Iran,” said Brodsky. “Therefore, Tehran’s fingerprints can be found in the backdrop of this latest escalation.”

Separately, a group of US Republican senators urged the Biden administration to immediately end negotiations with Iran on Thursday, and to clarify that sanctions relief will not be provided.

“Over the past couple days, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, who are funded by Iran, have launched a series of rocket attacks into Israel,” wrote the senators in the letter to President Biden. “They are targeting Israeli civilians and cities, including Israel’s capital Jerusalem. This is troubling as members of your administration are currently in Vienna negotiating with Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.”

Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and 42 other Republicans in calling on President Joe Biden to stand with Israel, highlighting that “[t]he United States engaging in active negotiations with Iran and potentially providing billions of dollars in sanctions relief will no doubt contribute to Iran’s support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations who attack Americans and our allies.”

“The United States must not do anything to enrich Israel’s enemies, such as by offering sanctions relief to a regime that seeks to destroy Israel,” the senators wrote. “We also urge you to unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against any and all terrorist attacks.”