http://www.geostrategy-direct.com/geostrategy-direct/secure/2011/05_25/ba.as p?
Cable detailed Israeli intel on arms shipments from Syria, Iran A classified State Department cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv provides new details on arms shipments to Palestinians in Gaza from both Syria and Iran. Israeli Defense Forces officials stated in the Nov. 18, 2009 cable that arms to the Palestinians were growing in both number and sophistication of weaponry. The Israelis said Hizbullah, in neighboring Lebanon, also was continuing to seek ways to avenge the assassination of former Hizbullah military command Imad Mughniyah and said the group had failed in attempts to do so in Azerbaijan and Egypt. According to the Israeli defense intelligence, "Hizbullah possesses over 20,000 rockets, hundreds of 220 millimeter and 302 millimeter rockets, several hundred Fajr rockets, hundreds of simple anti-tank launchers with rockets and missiles, and hundreds of advanced anti-tank wire guided missiles (ATGM), dozens of SA-14, SA-7, and QW-1 anti-aircraft guns, several Ababil unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), an unknown quantity of C-802 coastal missiles and up to thousands of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)." The C-802 is a Chinese anti-ship missile that was purchased by Iran in the 1990s and covertly supplied to Hizbullah. A C-802 was used by Hizbullah to sink an Israeli patrol boat during the summer war of 2006. According to the cable, the arms indicate "Hizbullah was preparing for a long conflict with Israel in which it hopes to launch a massive number of rockets at Israel per day." Israeli military intelligence also identified three circles of arms smuggling into Gaza, including arms sources and financing, such as Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and unfettered arms markets such as Eritrea and Yemen, and possibly China. Additionally, there are transit areas and states such as the Red Sea, Yemen, Sudan, Syrian, Lebanon, and Libya along with what they called the "close circle" along the Sinai-Egyptian border and Philadelphia route. Most arms smugglers preferred sea routes to Gaza because of fewer obstacles, but the last stretch of arms deliveries almost always went by land. Another troubling revelation is that Iranian weapons were being shipped through "air routes from Iran over Turkey." The cable said Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, was reconstituting its arms capabilities and has a few rockets with ranges over 40km in range and perhaps with ranges up to 70km, or within range of Tel Aviv. Hamas also have obtained Russian-made Kornet PG-29 anti-tank missiles and quality anti-aircraft artillery. "These weapons join an already potent arsenal including Grad rockets with ranges up to 40km, ammonium perchlorate (APC) oxidizer for indigenous rocket production, hundreds of 120, 80 and 60mm MBs, dozens of mortars, C5 K air-to-surface rockets, PG-7 AT rockets and launchers, SA-7 MANPADS, PKS AAA MGs and thousands of rounds of ammunition, and quality AT, such as Sagger missiles and launchers, and light anti-tank weapon (LAW) rockets." A separate cable from December 2009 quoted Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of the Israeli general staff, as saying "the threat to Israel from missiles and rockets is more serious than ever, hence the increasing importance of missile defense." He said as a result of layered missile defenses Israel now has about ten to twelve minutes' warning of a missile attack from Iran. On cyber warfare, Ashkenazi said he sees cyber warfare as an opportunity as well as a risk. "Cyber warfare has great potential in the war against terrorism," he was quoted as saying. "The IDF has not established a separate cyber command, but is making a major investment of people and resources in this area, especially since the Iranians are also quite good at it." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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