Victims Seek Accountability from Iran, Syria, North Korea for Supporting Hamas, Lawsuit Filed on Oct. 7

A group of U.S. citizens is taking legal action against the governments of Iran, Syria, and North Korea, claiming these nations should be held accountable for the terror attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are American citizens who were harmed or lost their lives during the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas, along with their immediate family members. The case is being pursued by the Anti-Defamation League, with assistance from the law firm Crowell & Moring LLP.

The lawsuit highlights quotes from Hamas leaders thanking Iran for supplying them with weapons and funding. Additionally, the complaint mentions a former Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, Ezzatollah Zarghami, who confessed in a November 2023 interview that Iranian forces had provided rockets used in the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“Hamas would not have been able to carry out the attack without the support from Iran, both historically and leading up to the attack,” states the federal complaint.

The complaint also alleges that the Syrian government provided weapons to Hamas, including Captagon pills believed to enhance the alertness and aggression of Hamas fighters during the extended attack.

Related Stories

“Syria provided resources and support to Hamas, both in the years leading up to the October 7 attack and in the period preceding it, which facilitated the execution of the attack,” the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint also claims that North Korea has a history of supplying weapons and providing military training to various Palestinian factions, from the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the 1970s and 1980s to Hamas in recent years. The lawsuit mentions a South Korean intelligence report indicating that Hamas fighters utilized North Korean-designed rocket launchers in the October 7 attack. Furthermore, North Korea is accused of aiding Hamas in constructing underground tunnel networks that allowed fighters to transport weapons undetected by Israeli drones.

“There is ample precedent for this case: U.S. courts have consistently held Iran, Syria, and North Korea accountable for supporting terrorist attacks that harmed U.S. citizens and dual U.S.-Israeli citizens,” stated James Pasch, who serves as the ADL senior director of national litigation and lead counsel in the case, in a press release on Monday.

The plaintiffs are seeking punitive and compensatory damages from Iran, Syria, and North Korea in this legal action.

The ADL acknowledged that even if they win the lawsuit, it is unlikely that foreign governments held liable for sponsoring terrorism will comply with a judgment from a U.S. court. Therefore, the ADL stated that the plaintiffs in this lawsuit will need the assistance of the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, established by Congress in 2015 to provide aid to American victims of terrorist attacks.

Besides seeking financial repercussions against the three governments, Mr. Pasch mentioned that this lawsuit will help “correct the record about the atrocities of that day, identify those responsible for supporting this terrible terrorist attack, and ultimately establish a path for justice, accountability, and redress.”