Weapons and documents confiscated from Hamas terrorists in Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza (Photo: IDF)
A new report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center revealed Iran’s widespread weapons smuggling network across the Middle East.
The report, based on Hamas documents recently seized by Israel Defense Forces, focuses on Iranian efforts to smuggle weapons to its terror proxies in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.
The documents revealed that Syria, under the recently collapsed Assad regime, played a critical role in the regime’s weapons smuggling network.
“The first section discusses the land supply lines from Iran to Syria and Lebanon, which operate through three routes,” the document stated.
“The first route passes through Baghdad, goes through the city of Ramadi, reaches the Al-Bukamal crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, then moves through Deir ez-Zor in Syria, then to Palmyra, from there to Damascus and then to Beirut. The second route starts from Tehran to Al-Basra in Iraq, then to Baghdad, and from there to the ‘Al-Tanf’ crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, and from there to Damascus. The third route starts from Iran to the city of Al-Muthanna in Iraq, then to Al-Hasakah in Syria, then to Adala, and from there to Latakia. This route is now inactive.”
The document highlighted joint efforts by Jerusalem and Washington to disrupt and block Iran’s weapons supply lines to its terrorist proxies.
“The American and Israeli measures were varied to block these lines by US control over strategic areas near these routes, or by imposing US sanctions on groups and individuals involved, and even carrying out airstrikes to disrupt these lines.”
Prior to the war, Hezbollah forces in Lebanon were widely considered Tehran’s most powerful terror proxy in the region. However, the Amit Center reported that the Lebanese smuggling route was partly blocked after the IDF stepped up its response to the unprovoked Hezbollah attacks on Israel, which began on Oct. 8, 2023.
“After Hezbollah began firing rockets onto Israel on October 8 of last year, the Lebanese route was partially blocked due to increased Israeli security forces along the Lebanese border.”
The Iranian regime has focused extensively on arming and funding its main proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. However, since both terror groups have been weakened by Israel over the past year, Iran has attempted to open a new front from Judea and Samaria. The document shed light on this evolving war front, which is geographically located to Israel’s main population centers Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
“The second route starts at the land border between Iraq and Jordan to smuggle weapons and money into the latter and then into the West Bank.”
In November, the Israeli military uncovered a large Iranian weapons smuggling operation designed to provide arms to Iranian-supported terror cells in Judea and Samaria.
“This is part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize the region’s security by arming terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the IDF Spokesperson Office stated.
While initially praising Hamas for the surprise attack and massacre of 1,200 Israeli men, women and children on Oct. 7, 2023, the Iranian regime has increasingly distanced itself from the atrocities.
However, the Amit report revealed the extensive Iranian military investment in the Hamas terrorist organization over the past decade.
“Since 2007, and especially in the last decade, Hamas has enjoyed massive Iranian military support, which has been reflected in the supply of Iranian weapons, the training of its operatives in Iran, the transfer of Iranian knowledge and capabilities through various routes to Gaza and the West Bank, as well as extensive financial support,” the report stated.
“The former commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in an American strike in Iraq in January 2020, was considered the one who established the military assistance to Hamas.”
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