Iran caught red-handed, Britain yawns
Last week, Israeli naval commandos seized a huge haul of armaments shipped from Iran and destined for Syria and thence, Israel says, for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The haul, seized from a cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua, south of Cyprus, contained thirty-six shipping containers with 500 tons of weaponry -- about 9,000 mortar bombs, 3,000 Katyusha artillery rockets, 3,000 recoilless gun shells, 20,000 grenades and over a half million rounds of small arms ammunition.
This seizure was of considerable significance. It demonstrated that Iran is arming terrorists in Lebanon (where Hezbollah is now ‘sharing power’ in – ie, exercising power over -- the government). It showed how Iran is busting the UN arms embargo. It exposed the extent of Syria’s collusion with Iran. And it showed the extent of the threat to Israel from Iran in Lebanon working through Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, underlining the uselessness of the UN. As the Jerusalem Post reported:
Syria, however, is a card-carrying member of the pro-Iranian regional bloc. The porousness of Lebanon's eastern border with Syria is a vital asset for Hizbullah. And the Shi'ite Islamist movement has complete freedom of operation on Lebanese soil. UN Resolution 1701 tasks UN forces in Lebanon with preventing the Syrian supply of arms across the border to Hizbullah. But no serious effort has been made to implement this clause.
Journalists working in Lebanon are aware that the crossings at the eastern border are off limits, and few attempt to report events there. Even UN investigators themselves concur that since August 2006, a steady supply of Iranian and Syrian arms has been making its way across Lebanon's eastern border to the Hizbullah forces in the south of the country.
The significance of the seizure was spelled out here by Colonel Shachar Levy, assistant intelligence analyst of the Israeli Defense Forces. He called this shipment no simple arms smuggling, but instead:
...a highly orchestrated strategic campaign of delivering arms to radical forces in the Middle East, which by itself is only one element of a multidimensional effort by Iran to build, to arm and re-arm, and to finance, to train, to supply operational guidance and doctrinal guidance, to give know-how and intelligence to radical forces in the area, while trying to galvanize what it calls the axis of resistance, and I'm using an Iranian terminology here.
... In practical terms, it means a very aggressive and ambitious Iranian effort vis-à-vis Hizbullah, a major proxy... Aside from the direct threat it poses to Israel, we're basically talking about a state within a state in Lebanon, with all its implications. At the moment, and following a very systematic Iranian arming and re-arming effort following 2006, it has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, AT launchers, ATGMs, UA-Vid, IEDs, and so on.
... I don't think I need to speak here about the Hizbullah involvement in Iraq as well. Secondly, Syria, as both a major ally to Iran and a client state of Iran. Bashar is using the terminology of peace, and we believe that, at least to some extent, he means it. But while there are diplomats going into his room through one door, we have terrorists going in and out through the other.
Thirdly, Palestinian organizations. Starting with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is a fully owned Iranian proxy, and ending with Hamas, which is gradually moving into the Iranian orbit and is enjoying increasing levels of Iranian support financially, with both arms and training.
One experience we just had a few days ago is the launching of rockets from Gaza with a range of about 60 kilometers. We believe this is probably an Iranian Fajr-5 with a range to Tel Aviv. And at the end, obviously, both Sunni and Shiite insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. One element of this effort is, again, the effort of supplying arms. Arms are delivered by Iran by air, land and naval groups, using a vast range of mechanisms, all of which are clandestine.
The shipment in the Francop, more than 500 tons of arms in this regard, is probably only the tip of the iceberg. A few examples, and, again, we believe these are basically a few examples of a very aggressive and wide-scale phenomenon, is the explosion of a train in Turkey in May 2007 which carried Iranian weapons to Hizbullah. It may have been the PKK that actually did it, but what was exposed was a very vast delivery of rockets, mortar shells, rocket batteries, bullets for sniper rifles, and so on. Again, a project by the Iranian's Quds Force-IRGC., and I think I'll speak a little more about that in a minute.
In March 2008, you had an IRISL ship with 80 rockets, RPGs, 120 millimeter mortar shells, 122 millimeter systems, again delivered by IRGC. This is the Iranian Bagheri . In our understanding, it was able to outmaneuver a NATO vessel and enter a Syrian port. The Monchegorsk, in January this year, which carried some 1,300 tons of arms to Syria and Hizbullah. It was stopped in Limassol for inspection, and the arms were taken off. Hansa India, which was intercepted by Germany, and again the cargo was taken off. And finally, the latest expression, the Francop.
The seizure of this shipment is thus of vital significance for the security not only of Israel but of the world against Iran.
As Investor’s Business Daily has observed:
Iran tests an advanced warhead design as it gets caught shipping weapons to Hezbollah. Syria is reported to give the group operational control over Scud missiles. It's five minutes to midnight.
Tyranny abhors a vacuum. While the U.S. and the West dither in Hamlet-like fashion over whatever we shall do in places such as Afghanistan and Iran, the Axis of Evil is in full swing in its plans to destroy Israel and threaten Europe and America.
So how was this covered in the British media? Only in the most cursory way, with a few paragraphs noting the interception.
Of course. Who could expect it to behave otherwise?
Previous
Blogs: Martin Bright | Susan Hill | Alex Massie | Coffee House | Faith Based
Actions: Print this article | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (24)
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
Popular Blog Posts
1 Yes campaign launch will cause problems — for the independence movement - Ysenda Maxtone Graham
2 Obama vs Balls - edited by Graham Storey, Margaret Brown and Kathle
3 Cameron's attack on Balls is strangely endearing - Lloyd Evans
4 Susie Squire to take over as Tory press chief - James Forsyth
5 What Farage's offer means for David Cameron - James Forsyth
Search this blog
Melanie Phillips is a Daily Mail columnist. She also writes for the Jewish Chronicle and is a panellist on BBC Radio Four's Moral Maze. Her most recent book is 'The World Turned Upside Down: The Global Battle over God, Truth and Power', published by Encounter.
For a complete set of Melanie's articles click here
Melanie Phillips blog archive
sponsored links
THE PRESENT FINDER
1,700 Unusual Christmas Presents Request Catalogue 01935 815 195 Quote SPEC10 for 10% discount www.presentfinder.co.uk
OLIVE BRANCH FLORISTS
Pimilco based Florist with online ordering Web: www.olivebranch.net Tel: 020 7630 1868 Fax: 020 7233 8844
RUFFS Bespoke Signet rings
62 Shore Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9FT Telephone: 01489 578867 Web site: www.ruffs.co.uk
Apollo Magazine | Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2012 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
Original Tony
November 11th, 2009 4:12pmIn the next war, Israel must use all her resources in a rapid invasion of southern lebanon and gaza.
Large para-borne forces must be used to cut of retreating enemy forces, to become the anvil, while massive infantry and tank assaults become the hammer. They must totally and utterly smash the enemy or else this nonsense will go on forever.
Fenman
November 11th, 2009 4:51pmAnd---In the meantime the terribly bright (?) Foreign Secretary spends more time looking at his future job prospects and revising his history knowledge of the second world war applicable to Poland and Latvia
James Murphy
November 11th, 2009 5:10pmHow dare Israel defend itself with this preemptive confiscation! I can almost hear BLADES gnashing his teeth! Incidentally, before he dives in again to trash democratic Israel over all those oh so tolerant Islamic theocracies, with their limb dismemberments and executions, I've been trying to analyse just why the hugely irritating BLADES always does sign himself off as an upper-case twit? My conclusion is that it's a hieroglyph of his prejudice: the BLADES in question are those of the scimitar, to remind us in the liberal, pro-Israeli West of the fate that awaits us when the tolerant old Caliphate is restored!
john kerr
November 11th, 2009 5:26pmits about time the world open there eyes,just like 1939 poland,isreal has been on the front line and have most to loss,the war in gazza and lebanon is just misdirection to the real theart which is iran have wepons of mass destrucion the internal fights in iran is just more misdirection the world must act now in a united front just like in the second war and not let evil rise again
Dr Michael Grave
November 11th, 2009 5:36pmBut Tony, won't the saintly BBC regard this behaviour as "disproportionate"? Better genocide at the hands of Islamist murderers than running the risk of offending the morally perfect BBC!
Jason from AZ
November 11th, 2009 5:54pmIf (or should I say when) Hezbollah attacks Israel, especially Tel Aviv, with Iranian-supplied missles, Israel would be crazy not to defend itself by attacking Iran.
Hysteria
November 11th, 2009 5:56pmTony - " They must totally and utterly smash the enemy or else this nonsense will go on forever." - but it's really more complicated than that, isn't it..? This is not like us destroying the Warsaw Pact on the plains of central Europe - if Israel killed all the active fighters in the region, do you think that woudl be the end of it?
No - the long term answer has to be to deal with the theocracy behind this global problem, and hope for a Muslim Enlightenment - failing that we are in for years of low to mid-level conflict
just Louise
November 11th, 2009 5:59pmIndeed, Fenman. Sensing his party's annihilation at the polls, the egregious Boy Miliband, him with the Marxist dad and the Israel-bashing mum, won't do anything to spoil his chances of becoming Pooh-Bah Plenipotentiary of the Great Gravy Train Empire across the Channel.
Pot Head
November 11th, 2009 6:53pmYawn!
Abraham
November 11th, 2009 7:20pm1st- I cannot blindly believe Israel, they have lied many times in the past and this very story can be well fabricated, just to cry wolf, at the time Israel is under international pressures in many fronts including Goldstone war crime report etc.
2nd- If supply of arms to a party involved in a war is considered illegal, how can one explain multi billion dollars supply of U.S. highly sophisticated arm to Israel, and not type of toys displayed in the photo above.
Herbert Thornton
November 11th, 2009 8:02pmSo, the Israelis captured 500 tons of weaponry.
The first nuclear bomb used on Hiroshima is reported to have weighed only 4 tons.
It makes me suspect that when a country begins to ship small consignments of a few nukes each, at least some of them will be likely to escape similar detection and interception.....
James Murphy
November 11th, 2009 8:07pmMelanie's insights make you yawn, Pothead: time for a lie-down in the dopey indifference of your own private opium den, methinks.
Fran
November 11th, 2009 8:43pmAbraham
Hexbollah is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the UN and therefore selling arms to them is illegal.
Israel is not a terrorist entity and therefore selling arms to her IS legal.
Simples!
Adam B.
November 11th, 2009 11:28pmJames Murphy - well said!
Augustus
November 12th, 2009 12:26amHezbollah, which is indeed backed by Iran, and Syria, has been given key positions in the new Lebanese cabinet, including the Minstry of Foreign Affairs.
The international community has been falling over itself to congratulate the new formation.
Why does the world tolerate an obviously belligerent terrorist group? They have now amassed countless missiles in Lebanon as well as weapons caches. These rockets and guns are not meant to rust away. The Sunni, Christian, and Druze politicians in Beirut must be aware of how fragile peace is, as well as their own tenuous safety. Hezbollah will use its weaponry to solidify its own position, and make the position of other creeds and parties in Lebanon ultimately indefensible.
David
November 12th, 2009 2:03amYup...I second Adam B.'s recommendation of James Murphy's comment. Exactly right!
Major Plonquer
November 12th, 2009 7:58amWhy on earth do they need so many weapons. Don't they know they could take someone's eye out?
What Lebanon needs is a functioning Health and Safety commission like we have in Blighty.
Mailman
November 12th, 2009 10:05amThe times carried the story before al beeb did...but what was telling was the tone of those who responded to the article, who supported Hesbullah against Israel!
Absolutely disgusting!
Neil Craig
November 12th, 2009 11:12amWell after all when the USDA broke UN sanctions to fly in al Quaeda & Iranian terrorists to help in genocide in Bosnia our media censored it. Why should we expect them to report real newes now?
Pot Head
November 12th, 2009 11:21amJames Murphy, Adam & David - Yawn!
Alex Bensky
November 12th, 2009 2:42pmMichael Grave: There really isn't any problem here, as long as you realize that when it comes to Israel, "disproportionate" is a synonym for "effective."
JOHN ROOSEVELT
November 12th, 2009 7:08pmAlex Bensky: "when it comes to Israel, "disproportionate" is a synonym for "effective."".
Ah, you're another "proportionality" fetishist! Please elaborate on your implied notion of "proportionality" and its historical role in international conflict. Or is this. rather, some normative concept of yours, to do with how you would like to see states behaving in conflict situations? If so, please elaborate also. Would make for interesting reading.
Your assertion makes Israel out to be singularly demonic in its behaviour in conflict situations. This is patent nonsense, of course, and so much so that it would seem you have quite another agenda besides honest and positive analysis.
God save us from the specious claptrap!
Adam B.
November 13th, 2009 1:58pmPot Head
What an incisive, perceptive, intellectually rigorous contribution. Where would we be without you?
They say only boring people are bored. Seems to be true in your case. Or have you just been smoking too much of your namesake?
Saeed
November 15th, 2009 9:13pmExcellent article Melanie, I have just read it, very informative.
What a west of time by western countries in dealing with this theocratic Islamic fascism hoping they can persuade her to abundant her objectives that is to be come a dominant regional power, for which this regime desperately needs the bomb.