A Palestinian Authority security forces patrol in the West Bank city of Nablus, Nov. 16, 2016. Photo: Reuters / Abed Omar Qusini.

Despite recent diplomatic tensions, Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) security bodies are closely cooperating to counter Iranian influence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel Hayom reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Palestinian officials.

According to the officials, this coordination is being kept low-profile, to protect the security interests of both sides.

A member of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ office told Israel Hayom that the PA leadership was angry at Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani — the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force who is viewed as a mastermind of the Tehran regime’s subversive actions throughout the Middle East.

Iran’s funding and arming of rival Palestinian groups, officials in Ramallah said, posed a threat the stability of the Fatah-controlled PA.

A senior Palestinian security official revealed that Iran has stepped up its activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the recent gains of Tehran-backed forces in southern Syria.