(JNS) Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar that the Islamic Republic of Iran was responsible for “building the strength” of the Palestinian terrorist organization by supplying it with both weapons and funding.

Speaking to a youth gathering in Gaza, Sinwar said Iran deserved “the greatest credit for building our strength… It has provided us with weapons and money, without which we would not have reached this point,” London-based Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

Sinwar also warned that Hamas could turn Israeli cities into “ghost towns” and had enough rockets to fire on Tel Aviv “for six months in a row,” according to Ynet.