How Weapons Are Smuggled From Iran To Hamas

DigitalGlobe image of Yarmouk Military Depot shows before and after images of an industrial complex in Khartoum, Sudan that was rocked by explosions last month.

Smuggling Weapons To Gaza – The Long Way -- CNN

Just after midnight on October 24, a series of loud explosions shook a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Within minutes, flames shooting skyward illuminated the area, and the Yarmouk Industrial Complex was consumed by fire.

Witnesses said they heard planes in the area, and a subsequent analysis of satellite images revealed six large craters "each approximately 16 meters [52 feet] wide ... and consistent with craters created by air-delivered munitions," according to the Satellite Sentinel Project, a non-governmental organization that analyzed DigitalGlobe imagery.

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My Comment: Talk about taking the long route .... but I suspect that after the latest bombing, Iran`s arms smugglers are looking for other routes (i.e. my money is on Libya and Eritrea).

An Iran - Hamas Falling Out?

Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) greets Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Tehran Feb. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Iran Cuts Hamas Funding For Failing To Show Support For Assad -- Haaretz/Reuters

Hamas has denied that it is in financial crisis but says it faces liquidity problems stemming from inconsistent revenues from tax collection in the Gaza Strip and foreign aid.



Iran has reduced or possibly halted its funding of Hamas after the Islamist movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, failed to show public support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, diplomats said on Sunday.



Hamas has denied that it is in financial crisis but says it faces liquidity problems stemming from inconsistent revenues from tax collection in the Gaza Strip and foreign aid.



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Update #1: Iran punishes Hamas for not backing Assad -- Sydney Morning Herald

Update #2: Foreign funds for Hamas hit by Syria unrest-diplomats -- Reuters



My Comment: They will make up after the situation in Syria has resolved itself .... so they hope.

Will Iran's Political Turmoil Shake Hezbollah?

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian president Ahmadinejad
(Iranian News Agency ISNA, August 1, 2005)

From Christian Science Monitor:

The Shiite militant organization in Lebanon draws money and ideological guidance from Iran's supreme leader.

Beirut, Lebanon - The political turmoil that has shaken Iran following its disputed presidential election last month is being keenly observed by Lebanon's militant Shiite Hezbollah, which takes many of its cues – earthly and spiritual – from the Islamic Republic.

Hezbollah is the only organization outside Iran that subscribes to that nation's ideology of theocratic leadership. The group was founded with Iranian help, still receives Iranian funding, and has at times turned to Iran's supreme leader for guidance on major political issues. Therefore, the outcome of current debates there over the way theocratic authority is wielded and the secular question of how Iran should manage its external relations is sure to reverberate inside Lebanon.

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Update: Iran Turmoil May Cost Hezbollah, Hamas Amid Retreat -- Bloomberg

My Comment: It is natural that there would be an impact. I am sure that a majority of Iranians would rather have money coming to their communities instead of supplying funds and weapons to groups like Hezbollah and Hamas .... and this is a sentiment that has been played up by opponents to the regime.

I would also add Syria to this list and Shiite extremist groups in Iraq.

Seizing Arm Shipments To Hamas

Members of SEAL Team Two (Echo Platoon) conduct room search and clearing operations during a practice ship boarding and take-down aboard USS Normandy (CG 60). (Image from Special Operations)

US Seizing Of Iranian Ship 'A Covert Op' -- Jerusalem Post

The interception of an Iranian arms ship by the US Navy in the Red Sea last week likely was conducted as a covert operation and is being played down by the US military due to the lack of a clear legal framework for such operations, an American expert on Iran told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday evening.

International media reported that an Iranian-owned merchant vessel flying a Cypriot flag was boarded early last week by US Navy personnel who discovered artillery shells on board.

The ship was initially suspected of being en route to delivering its cargo to smugglers in Sinai who would transfer the ammunition to Hamas in Gaza, but the US Navy became uncertain over the identity of the intended recipient since "Hamas is not known to use artillery," The Associated Press cited a defense official as saying.

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Update: U.S. watching for Iranian arms to Gaza -- UPI

Update #2: When Guessing Become News -- Information Dissemination

My Comment: It is troubling that there is no legal framework to stop this. I suggest that a framework be found very fast, or give the intel to countries who will not be hindered by lawyers.

US Navy Seeks Arms Bound For Hamas

U.S. sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower gather on the flight deck to watch as the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio sails alongside in the Atlantic Ocean, Dec. 10, 2005. San Antonio is the lead ship in the Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock-class of ships. She is scheduled to arrive in her new homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., for the holidays and then will sail to Ingleside, Texas for her commissioning ceremony, Jan. 14, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher B. Long

From Sunday Times:

AN American naval taskforce in the Gulf of Aden has been ordered to hunt for suspicious Iranian arms ships heading for the Red Sea as Tehran seeks to re-equip Hamas, its Islamist ally in Gaza.

According to US diplomatic sources, Combined Task Force 151, which is countering pirates in the Gulf of Aden, has been instructed to track Iranian arms shipments.

Last week the USS San Antonio, an amphibious transport dockship that serves as the command and control centre for the taskforce, boarded the former Russian cargo vessel Monchegorsk, which is registered in Limassol and flying a Cypriot flag.

The ship docked at an Egyptian Red Sea port for a detailed search during which, according to unconfirmed reports, weapons were found.

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My Comment: With time, Iran will be successful in arming Hamas. They have the time, resources, and contacts to succeed.

Iran Tones Down Its Vocal Support For Hamas

Photo: AFP caption: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president (L) pledges funds to Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas. (Photo from Powerline)

From International Herald Tribune:

CAIRO: Late last month, Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that anyone killed defending Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would be rewarded in heaven as a martyr. Young men began lining up - 70,000 in all - to go off and die.

But a week later Khamenei announced without explanation that no one was going anywhere to fight. "I thank the pious and devoted youth who have asked to go to Gaza," he said in a televised address. "But it must be noted that our hands are tied in this arena."

While the fighting continues in Gaza and negotiations for a cease-fire take place in Egypt, officials in Tehran are treading carefully because they, too, have a great deal at stake. Iran is trying to position itself as the regional superpower, while also trying to generate maximum leverage before expected talks with the administration of President Barack Obama.

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