TEL AVIV – The head of the Shin Bet security service on Sunday warned that, backed by Iran, Hamas is establishing a base in Lebanon in a bid to strengthen its ties with Tehran’s “Shiite axis.” Nadav Argaman told ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting that the Gaza-based terror group has “continued to invest considerable resources in preparation for a future conflict, even at the cost of its citizens’ welfare” and that at this point Hamas is “ready for a conflict with Israel.” Argaman said that the past three years following the 2014 Gaza war have been the quietest in “three decades” but added that the calm was “deceptive” and the terror group is concentrating on rearming. Last month, Hamas’ new prime minister in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said that the terror group had restored its relations with Iran, which were first severed in 2012 over differences regarding Syria. “Relations with Iran are excellent and Iran is the largest supporter of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades with money and arms,” Sinwar said, according to Reuters. “The relationship today is developing and returning to what it was in the old days. … This will be reflected in the resistance [against Israel] and in [the Hamas] agenda to achieve