Exclusive: Iran exploits earthquake relief mission to deliver weapons to Syria

Sources: Military equipment disguised as relief materials Syria is a conflict zone for Israel and Iran, Israel launches a swift campaign against the Iranians

AMMAN (Reuters) – Iran used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment to its strategic ally, Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said.

The sources told Reuters the aim was to shore up Iran’s defenses against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters is the first to report this development.

The sources said that after the February 6 earthquake in northern Syria and Turkey, hundreds of flights from Iran began to land at the airports of Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia, bringing supplies, and this continued for seven weeks. The United Nations says more than 6,000 people have died across Syria.

Two regional sources and a Western intelligence source said the supplies included advanced communications equipment, radar batteries and spare parts needed for a planned upgrade of a Syrian air defense system provided by Iran in its civil war.

Reuters spoke to Western intelligence officials and sources close to the Iranian and Israeli leaderships, as well as a Syrian military defector and a serving Syrian officer, about the flights for this article.

In response to a question about whether Iran used humanitarian relief planes after the earthquakes to transport military equipment to Syria to strengthen its network there and help Assad, Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said: “This is not true.”

The Syrian government did not respond to a request for comment.

Regional sources told Reuters that Israel quickly learned of the flow of weapons into Syria and launched an aggressive campaign to stop it.

Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, an insider and former head of research in the IDF and former director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, said that Israeli air strikes against the shipments relied on intelligence so specific that the IDF had long known which truck. convoy on target.

important movements

An Israeli defense official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters: “Under the guise of earthquake aid shipments to Syria, Israel witnessed large movements of military equipment from Iran, mainly transferred in parts.”

He said the aid was mainly delivered to Aleppo airport in northern Syria. He said the shipments were organized by the Syrian Unit 18,000 of the Quds Force, the foreign spying service and paramilitary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, commanded by Hassan Mahdavi.

He pointed out that the ground transportation was carried out by the 190th Transportation Unit of the Quds Force, led by Bahnem Shahiri. Reuters was not able to reach Mahdioui and Shahiri for comment. The Revolutionary Guard declined to comment.

“The Israeli strikes also targeted a meeting of Iranian militia leaders and shipments of electronic chips to upgrade weapons systems,” said Syrian military defector Colonel Abdul-Jabbar al-Akidi, who maintains links to the Syrian army. Al-Aqidi did not say where the meeting took place.

A regional source said that Israel bombed the Aleppo runway just hours after two Iranian cargo planes landed with weapons shipments under the pretext of aid relief, information confirmed by two other Western intelligence sources.

Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, was the first foreign official to set foot in the earthquake zone in Syria, a few days before the arrival of Assad himself. Reuters was unable to reach Ghaani for comment. The Revolutionary Guard declined to comment.

In the event of a humanitarian disaster, UN relief aircraft are allowed to seek landing rights from local authorities and humanitarian cargo is exempt from sanctions. In this case

The Syrian authorities granted landing rights to direct flights from Russia and Iran.

A regional source close to the Iranian religious leadership said, “The earthquake was an unfortunate disaster, but at the same time, with God’s help, we can help our brothers in Syria in their fight against their enemies. Quantities of weapons were sent to Syria immediately.” .

Pinpoint Israeli intelligence

Israel has for years carried out attacks against what it described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began backing Assad in the civil war that began in 2011.

A Syrian army officer, who asked not to be named, said that the Israelis are intensifying their efforts to defeat Iran in Syria.

“Why now? Simply because they have information that something is being rapidly developed. They should stop it and beat it to slow it down. The earthquake created the right conditions. The chaos that followed allowed Iranian planes to land easily,” he said.

In the aftermath of more earthquakes on April 3, Israeli targets included weapons depots in the Jabal Manea Kiswah mountain range south of Damascus where Iranian forces and Lebanese Hezbollah had built their most heavily fortified military outposts in Syria, a regional security source and two Western intelligence sources said.

The regional source added that a radar station used for drones was also bombed on April 3, confirming what two Western intelligence sources told Reuters.

A Western intelligence source, referring to Iranian flights since the February 6 earthquake, said, “We believe that Iranian militias moved huge amounts of ammunition – restocking quantities lost in previous Israeli drone strikes.”

Additional reporting by Maya Jebaili in Beirut and Michelle Nichols in New York. Written by Michael Georgy. Editing by Nick McPhee and Mark Heinrichs

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos