Report: Iran, Syria smuggling weapons to Hezbollah through Iraq
Transfer through Iraqi airports is done to avoid risk of IDF attack on weapons convoys from Syria to Lebanon.
By YASSER OKBI, THE POST CORRESPONDENTIranian weapons intercepted by Israeli commandos 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
Iran and Syria are reportedly smuggling weapons to Hezbollah through Iraqi airports, to avoid IDF attacks on weapons convoys crossing the border from Syria to Lebanon, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah reported.According to the report, this method of smuggling arms has been agreed on by the two sides two months ago.A source in the Iraqi ruling party told the paper that while senior Iraqi officials aide Tehran and Damascus in smuggling weapons to Hezbollah, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is unaware of it.Lebanese officials close to Hezbollah and to the Assad regime in Syria, however, know of the smuggling and turn a blind eye to it, according to the report."The weapons transfer is done twice to three times a year, from different airports in Iraq," the Iraqi Shi'ite official was quoted as saying by the paper."Al-Maliki suspects something is going on, but the Iranian regime receives intelligence on any intention to search planes that arrive in Baghdad on their way to Beirut," he added.
