Iran could send arms to Syria with earthquake aid
Feb 13, 2023 20:04:16 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Feb 13, 2023 20:04:16 GMT -5
Iran could send arms to Syria with earthquake aid - expert
Laura Cellier
February 08, 2023 at 02:53 AM
latest revision February 08, 2023 at 03:20 AM
Iranians on social media have been contrasting the IRGC readiness to deploy assistance to Turkey and Syria but not to its own citizens in West Azerbaijan
Iran reportedly sent a plane full of aid to Damascus on Tuesday as Syria struggles in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the northwest of the country on the border with Turkey.
However, experts are concerned that Iran and Hezbollah could be using the chaos caused by the disaster to send weapons into Syria. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against a Nuclear Iran, told i24NEWS that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have a record of smuggling arms under the pretext of humanitarian aid.
“As sad as it is, I do think that the international community needs to be on alert because the Iranian regime does have a history of exploiting the Iranian Red Crescent society in terms of funneling intelligence operatives, Quds Force operatives and weaponry,” Brodsky said.
“Let’s not forget that an IRGC officer admitted in a TV interview a few years back that the Iranian regime did just that… in Bosnia in the 1990s. It’s also been implicated in exploiting the Red Crescent society in Lebanon in 2006, so I think there is cause for concern,” he said, adding that the plane sent by Tehran belongs to an airline that was previously sanctioned by the U.S. for smuggling.
Brodsky noted that many Iranians on social media have been contrasting the IRGC readiness to deploy assistance to Turkey and Syria with the disaster that happened regarding the earthquake in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran that has a large Azeri minority population. Brodsky noted that the “regime has done a poor job in providing assistance to its own citizens in that affected area.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran unveiled an underground air force base named "Eagle 44,” with several high-ranking military officials in attendance. Eagle 44 is one of "several" underground tactical air bases of Iran's Air Force that have been built in different regions of the country.
link
Laura Cellier
February 08, 2023 at 02:53 AM
latest revision February 08, 2023 at 03:20 AM
Iranians on social media have been contrasting the IRGC readiness to deploy assistance to Turkey and Syria but not to its own citizens in West Azerbaijan
Iran reportedly sent a plane full of aid to Damascus on Tuesday as Syria struggles in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the northwest of the country on the border with Turkey.
However, experts are concerned that Iran and Hezbollah could be using the chaos caused by the disaster to send weapons into Syria. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against a Nuclear Iran, told i24NEWS that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have a record of smuggling arms under the pretext of humanitarian aid.
“As sad as it is, I do think that the international community needs to be on alert because the Iranian regime does have a history of exploiting the Iranian Red Crescent society in terms of funneling intelligence operatives, Quds Force operatives and weaponry,” Brodsky said.
“Let’s not forget that an IRGC officer admitted in a TV interview a few years back that the Iranian regime did just that… in Bosnia in the 1990s. It’s also been implicated in exploiting the Red Crescent society in Lebanon in 2006, so I think there is cause for concern,” he said, adding that the plane sent by Tehran belongs to an airline that was previously sanctioned by the U.S. for smuggling.
Brodsky noted that many Iranians on social media have been contrasting the IRGC readiness to deploy assistance to Turkey and Syria with the disaster that happened regarding the earthquake in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran that has a large Azeri minority population. Brodsky noted that the “regime has done a poor job in providing assistance to its own citizens in that affected area.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran unveiled an underground air force base named "Eagle 44,” with several high-ranking military officials in attendance. Eagle 44 is one of "several" underground tactical air bases of Iran's Air Force that have been built in different regions of the country.
link
