While the rescuers are still looking for survivors in the ruins caused by the earthquake in Syria, there is a growing fear among Israeli officials that Iran will take advantage of the situation to send weapons to Hezbollah under the guise of international aid.
The “Fox News” network, where an article was published on the subject, stated that it was unable to independently verify whether Iran had taken steps to transfer weapons to Syria under the guise of aid. However, in the photos distributed in the media and on the networks, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Ismail Kaani, is seen in the city of Latakia in western Syria as he monitors the aid to earthquake victims. Convoys of activists in pro-Iranian militias were also observed in Iraq, on their way to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Syria.
Doug Bando, a senior researcher at the American Kano Institute, told the “Al-Khora” network that increasing the amount of goods and additional aid will, naturally, give Iran an opportunity to smuggle weapons into Syria. The researcher noted that there is no other option but to increase the aid, in light of the great disaster of the earthquake. As for the Israeli concerns, the expert said that Israel has no choice but to rely on its intelligence to monitor and attack the Iranian weapons
Brigadier General Yossi Kopervasser, former head of the research division at the AMN and currently a senior researcher at the Israeli Security Forum, said in an interview with the Fox News network that “Iran has taken advantage of tragedies of this type in the past to transfer weapons, so it may try to do it again and transfer advanced weapons to Syria.” Koperverser noted that Tehran may try to send advanced air defense batteries, weapons such as “suicide drones” and long-range missile components. “Iran continues to take advantage of Syrian weakness and rely on foreign aid to advance the Iranian strategy of regional hegemony and the proliferation of weapons near Israel.” , said Kuperverser.
A Fox News report stated that Iran, which has been involved in a “proxy war” with Israel, on Syrian soil since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, may take advantage of the devastation caused by the earthquake to expand its support for its representatives in Syria. As you know, Iran has been waging a shadow war with Israel for years, with Tehran accusing Israel of being behind a series of attacks and assassinations aimed at its nuclear program, according to it with the support of the United States.
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Iran opened an air train to Damascus airport, under the title “Iranian Aid to the Earthquake Victims”. The director of civil aviation in Syria, Bassem Mansour, announced the arrival of the first aid plane from Iran to Damascus already ten days ago. The Al-Mayadeen network reported the arrival of 45 tons of medical food aid and aid via the Iranian plane. The director of civil aviation said that the first aid plane from Iran will arrive at Damascus airport, while two Russian planes will arrive at Latakia airport.
On Monday, Iran announced that it would send humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake in Syria, and noted that it had sent 6 aid teams to Turkey. The Iranian Foreign Minister’s Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs announced during a video call between the Iranian Foreign Minister’s Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs, Ali Asghar Haji, with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Syrian Affairs Geir Pedersen, about the readiness of Iran to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake in Syria. In the conversation, Haji expressed his sadness over the disaster that befell Syria, and the enormous human and material damage left by the earthquake, and emphasized the importance of the UN’s efforts to mobilize countries and non-governmental organizations to send humanitarian aid immediately.