Iran is attempting to flood the West Bank with weapons in order to drag Israel into a wider regional conflict, officials have claimed.
The operation uses a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East, employing intelligence operatives, militants, criminal gangs and bedouins, to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the New York Times reported, citing Iranian, US and Israeli security and intelligence officials.
Its discovery comes amid concerns that Tehran is seeking to turn the enclave into the next flashpoint in its long-simmering proxy war with Israel, after it vowed to avenge a strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus last week that killed seven members of its Revolutionary Guard.
The majority of the smuggled weapons are handguns and assault rifles, though anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades are also frequently transferred, the officials said. It is unclear how many weapons have been transferred in the two years the smuggling operation has been ongoing.
The report comes after Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, said last month that it had foiled attempts by Tehran to smuggle large shipments of advanced weapons to terror operatives in the West Bank.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
