Report: Alleged Israeli strike on Sudanese weapons arsenal
Arsenal reportedly held long range missiles for Hamas; Sudanese officials deny Israeli strike weeks after Sudan's president met with Mashaal in Qatar.
By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUAIAF jet 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
Sources in Khartoum claimed on Monday that Israeli forces struck a weapons arsenal which held long range missiles for Hamas.The Arabic-language UK-based newspaper Al-Arab reported that the government in Sudan is not confirming the incident in order to cover up relations with the terrorist organization in Gaza. Such ties could entangle the country's president Omar al-Bashir with an accusation of supporting terrorism from the US and Western nations.The attack came only hours after Israel accused the Sudanese government of storing long range missiles for Hamas.Eye witnesses claimed to have seen a "huge explosion" and billows of smoke before ambulances and firefighters arrived at the scene. Six people were allegedly wounded in the attack.Sudanese security forces stated that the huge explosion in a weapons arsenal was the result of a fire that broke out and took place on Friday morning in the al-Jili neighborhood of the capital.The Sudanese Army Spokesman Khaled Sa'ad denied all connections in the incident to an attack by foreign forces.Two weeks before the alleged Israeli strike, Sudan's President al-Bashir was seen meeting with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Qatar.
