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Iran Smuggles Arms to West Bank to Foment Unrest with Israel

(New York Times) Farnaz Fassihi - Iran is operating a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East, employing intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the West Bank, according to officials from the U.S., Israel and Iran. The goal, as described by three Iranian officials, is to foment unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with weapons. Afshon Ostovar, an associate professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, said Iran was focusing on the West Bank because it understood that access to Gaza would be curtailed for the foreseeable future. While the majority of the smuggled weapons are handguns and assault rifles, Iran is also smuggling advanced weapons, Israeli officials said, including antitank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. The Israel Security Agency recently seized advanced military equipment smuggled into the West Bank.
2024-04-11 00:00:00
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