[Jerusalem Post] Yaakov Katz and Herb Keinon - Iran has stepped up its efforts to smuggle weapons into Gaza by using floatable devices that it drops near the waters off the Gaza coast to be picked up by Palestinian fisherman, senior Israeli defense officials say. Iran is now sending rockets and other advanced weaponry to Hamas and Islamic Jihad by sea as well as via tunnels dug under the border to Egyptian Sinai. "They throw the weapons overboard in waterproof, sealed tubes which then float into the Gaza waters and are picked up by fishermen," one official said. "Sometimes Navy boats intercept them and sometimes they get through." In recent months, the IDF has noticed an increase in Iranian-made weaponry in Gaza, including rockets and mortars. Defense officials say that in recent weeks thousands of mortars have been smuggled into Gaza.
2008-04-18 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive