To Stop the Flow of Iranian Arms to Hamas You Must Know Where to Look

Shoshana Bryen
Senior Director for Security Policy
JINSA
01 April '11

http://www.jinsa.org/node/2261

Last month, Israeli intelligence tracked the Iranian military ships Alvand and Kharg, on a journey through the Suez Canal to the port of Latakia in Syria – a place the Russian navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps both operate. The cargo was offloaded and then picked up by the A.S. Victoria. The Victoria then sailed to Mersin, Turkey, waited a few days and set sail toward its destination in Alexandria, Egypt. But before it got there, Israeli commandos boarded it and directed it to Israel. More than 50 tons of weapons were off-loaded before the ship and crew were allowed to continue their journey.

Among the weapons was an Iranian-produced version of the Chinese C-704 anti-ship missile, called a “strategic threat,” by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The missile poses a threat to Israel’s naval installations and the vessels that protect the 80 percent of the Israeli population that lives in the coastal plain as well as its ports, the power plant at Ashkelon and offshore natural gas facilities.

The missile operators need radar to acquire and fix targets, and two British Kelvin Hughes radars were also found by the IDF. The radars, which come in both civilian and military versions, have to be integrated with the missiles. The integration itself is a military function, making the distinction between the civilian and the military versions immaterial. Someone did the job. In addition, it can be assumed this is the same radar the Iranian Navy is using for its ships equipped with C-704 missiles; it wouldn’t make sense for Iran to be acquiring them just for Hamas. Whoever is integrating for the Hamas export-version is also integrating for Iran.

With this seizure, the Victoria joins a long line of ships large and small that have been foiled by Israel as they attempted to bring Iranian arms to Hamas. But the Victoria is particularly noteworthy for two reasons: the cargo itself, which included the British radars, and the ship on which it was traveling, a French-operated vessel. Both indicate the disturbing possibility that Western European firms like CMA-CGM, which has offices in Iran and operates the Victoria, are engaged in activities that violate UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting the transfer of military equipment and technology to Iran, and from Iran to any other place. Complicity of the interim Egyptian government in the ship’s passage through the Suez Canal is also worrisome.

This is not the first time CMA-CGM has been found with Iranian-related weapons aboard one of its ships. In October 2010, the company admitted that a shipment of arms seized by Nigerian officials came from Iran. Israel said the arms were destined for Gaza, while Senegalese authorities thought they were going to West Africa. On the import side, in July 2009 the UAE seized a shipment of weapons from North Korea headed for Iran on a CMA-CGM vessel. Diplomatic sources said it contained components for an Iranian test launch of a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Equally jarring is the possibility of Egyptian complicity. The interim Egyptian government claimed it was powerless to stop a vessel from a country with which it is not at war. However, this was the first Iranian military passage through the Suez Canal since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 because Egypt has considered Iran to be hostile. Egypt is, in any event, bound by the Security Council to ensure that passing ships comply with the terms of the embargo. According to some reports, the two Iranian naval ships were “routinely” inspected by Egyptian authorities; according to others, Iranian diplomats simply “assured” the Egyptians the ships were not carrying weapons. If the Egyptians did not actually inspect the ship’s cargo, they were snookered. If inspectors checked, found the weapons but still authorized the passage, then an entirely new challenge to sanctions enforcement may be emerging. It is not reasonable to think the inspectors checked and didn’t see the weapons.

To skirt sanctions, Iran has used various countries and mechanisms in its efforts to supply Hamas in its war against Israel as well as to add to its nuclear-related capabilities, and the international community has been working to stop the smuggling at both ends. Sudan has been a transit point for air and land shipments, some of which have been stopped by Egypt. Turkey, despite its political pique with Israel, last week stopped an Iranian plane suspected of carrying weapons. The U.S. Navy has used its pirate-searching assets to track Iranian arms shipments as well. And just this past Friday, Malaysia revealed that two cargo containers it recently seized were bound for Iran filled with nuclear-related technology from China.

The issue remains whether countries of the West are still providing Iran with weapons, weapon-related technology and embargo-busting capabilities that allow the Islamic Republic to wage war by proxy. After this latest, failed, attempt, at least the British and French governments know where to start looking. And everyone should be looking at the interim government of Egypt.

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C-704 Missile Would Have Increased Strategic Capability for Gaza Terror Organizations

IDF Blog
24 March '11

http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/03/24/strategic-missile-would-have-increased-strategic-capability-for-gaza-terror-organizations/

Last week, the Israeli Navy intercepted 50 tons of sophisticated weapons concealed in civilian cargo containers aboard the “Victoria”, which left Syria and was en route to Alexandria, Egypt. Of the 50 tons, the most strategically significant weapons found were 6 C-704 missiles.



Currently, there are no known C-704s held by Hamas or any other terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. With a range of 35 kilometers, this anti-ship missile would have been used to threaten IDF and civilian activity off Israel’s southern coast, as well as natural gas resources vital to the livelihoods of Israeli citizens.

The attempt to disguise weaponry as civilian cargo on the “Victoria” has been linked to the Iranian government, both in terms of documents found on-board the ship, and other known attempts by Iran to arm various terrorist organizations.

The recent barrage of rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli communities underscore the importance of the naval blockade towards Gaza, and the grave security implications had the Israeli Navy not intercepted the “Victoria”.

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Summary of the “Victoria” Incident

Israel Defense Forces
Posted on March 18, 2011
Posted before Shabbat

On March 15th, the Israeli Navy uncovered weaponry intended for terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip:



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Re: The Importance of Blockading Gaza

J. E. Dyer
Commentary/Contentions
16 March '11

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/03/15/re-the-importance-of-blockading-gaza/

I endorse Jonathan Tobin’s points on the need to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza, and would like to add another one. Americans, situated on the other side of the globe, have rarely considered it, but in light of the growing instability in the Middle East, it’s time we did.

Israel’s interdiction of arms shipments to terrorists is not just a boon to Israel. It’s a boon to regional stability. Gaza is not the only destination for smuggled arms; Lebanon is the other principal one. When the IDF intercepted M/V Francop in November 2009, the arms disguised as commercial cargo were bound for Beirut.

Israel cannot intercept arms shipments on every axis — e.g., at the Syrian border with Lebanon — but denying particular arms shipments to terrorists is not necessarily the most important effect of the Israeli policy. That effect is, rather, the imposition of boundaries on the scope and character of the instability created by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.

Without Israel’s enforcement of those effective boundaries, the impact of the terror regimes in Gaza and southern Lebanon would be considerably greater on Egypt and Jordan, at a minimum. If an Iranian-sponsored arms pipeline through Sudan to Gaza had been allowed to prosper, it would have further destabilized and polarized that already war-torn nation. Saudi Arabia, opposing Iran’s busy career on two sides of Israel, would consider it even more urgent to arm and cultivate Sunni Arab factions, hoping to organize Egypt and Jordan against the Iran-Syria coalition.

Israeli enforcement of the Gaza blockade, and Jerusalem’s policy of interdicting arms shipments to Hezbollah, are some of the key measures preventing Iran from consolidating advantage in Gaza and Lebanon. They also serve to discourage the widening of the terrorists’ operating theater and logistics range. That range can only be widened into the territory of neighboring nations, forcing those nations into overt policy choices — choices about whom to side with and what armed efforts to support or actively oppose — that they can address today with ambivalence.

It’s a good mental exercise to imagine the state of regional stability if there were no arms blockade of Gaza and no Israeli vigilance over southern Lebanon. Only Iran and the terrorists would derive advantage from the proliferation of arms and the potential for chaos. Certainly the Gazan and Lebanese civilians would not. And no regional nation would be immune to the reverberations outward from the Levant.

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From Israel: Vigilance and Celebration

Arlene Kushner
Arlene from Israel
16 March '11




That is what is required of us, here in Israel. For our enemies are all about. I'm reminded a bit of the old saying, "There is no rest for the weary." But never mind, weary or not, we will prevail. The latest incident demonstrating our ability to prevail follows below.

But I first want to let my readers know that unless there is something of major significance that transpires, I will be off-line until next Tuesday at least.

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One reason is Purim. A story, incidentally, that tells of another instance in which our people -- threatened with extinction -- bested our enemy, aided by the hidden hand of the Almighty. Purim is a time when we are bidden to hear that story read, in the Megillat Ester, bring gifts of food to friends and charity to the poor. And celebrate.

The Fast of Ester (Tannit Ester) is tomorrow. Purim is Sunday, but is celebrated in Jerusalem, which was a walled city, on Sushan Purim, Monday.

To all those who will be observing Purim, I wish a Chag Purim Sameach!

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The other reason is simply a writing assignment I have assumed that will occupy my time at the computer. For that reason, friends, I ask please! that you curtail comments and sharing of information for the next several days.

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Now as to the latest incident we have confronted that required vigilance:

Yesterday, the Israeli navy intercepted the cargo ship Victoria some 320 km off of Israel's coast in the Mediterranean.

The captain of the ship -- which is German-owned but flies under a Liberian flag, and operates with a French crew -- granted permission for Israeli commandos from the elite Shayetet unit to board and offered no resistance when they did. What was discovered was a cache of sophisticated weaponry that had been loaded in the Syrian port of Latakia. The certificates regarding the containers indicated they were carrying cotton and lentils. But the commandos had to open only one container to discover weapons.

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As you may remember, a couple of weeks ago, two Iranian ships entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, docked in Syria for a while, and left. The port where they docked was Latakia, and it is strongly suspected that the weaponry had been unloaded from Iran at that point. That at least some of the weapons were of Iranian origin is certain: there were manuals in Farsi.

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When the Victoria left Latakia, it sailed to the port of Mersin in Turkey, where it sat for some days -- it is thought, to allay suspicions. When it was intercepted, it was on its way to Egypt. At least some of the containers, which were heavily locked, were bound for the port of Alexandria there.

The assumption of course, is that the weaponry would have moved via tunnels into Gaza. The cache of weapons was estimated to weigh about 50 tons and included two Chinese-made C-704 anti-ship missiles -- which the Iranians do possess. The missiles -- which had the Iranian word for them, Nasr, written on them -- would have seriously interfered with Israel's ability to navigate in the Mediterranean and would have threatened strategic installations near the coast. This missile uses advanced radar, has a range of 35 km., and can carry a warhead of 130 kg. of explosives.

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I shudder, and thank Heaven for the vigilance. There's a history of weapons ships intercepted by Israel, including the Karine-A, and two years ago the Francop.

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This entirely successful operation began several days ago with intelligence received. The Navy immediately began tracking the ship, and planning that operation.

It is being made clear that there is no suspicion that either the Turkish or the Egyptians were aware of the contents of the ship; and the crew was ignorant of what was in those containers.

The ship is being brought to the port in Ashdod. And later today, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will be accompanying foreign diplomats to the port and showing them some of the weapons.

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You can see videos of the Israeli Navy boarding the ship here:

http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/03/15/videos-of-navys-request-and-subsequent-boarding-of-the-victoria/

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Shorts: the Victoria, J Street revealed again, ISM in Awarta

Fresnozionism.org
15 March '11

http://fresnozionism.org/2011/03/shorts-the-victoria-j-street-revealed-again-ism-in-awarta/


Today there are almost too many Israel-related things to write about.

Probably the most important is the IDF’s capture of a ship carrying 50 tons of Iranian arms, en route to Alexandria, from which the weapons would be smuggled to Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Barry Rubin notes that

The story of the Liberian-flag ship Victoria is dramatic enough but few will understand, at least immediately, that it opens a new era in the region’s history. It is a period when, for the first time [in] more than thirty years … Egypt will not be a reliable force for regional peace and stability.

Here in America, the intrepid Lori Lowenthal Marcus sat through hours of boring video from the recent J Street conference, finding this gem, uttered by J Street co-founder Daniel Levy — already famous for telling an Al Jazeera panel that the creation of Israel was an “act that was wrong” (although “excusable”). This time, he provides no excuses. If they hate us no matter, what, he says, then

Maybe, if this collective Jewish presence can only survive by the sword, then Israel really ain’t a good idea.

Here’s a clip, courtesy of Elder of Ziyon:



Wouldn’t you like to slap this guy? I would.* Note that there is no gasp of surprise from the attendees when he says it. They certainly have given new meaning to ‘pro-Israel!’

When the IDF arrived at the scene of the horrific massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar, they found footprints leading to the nearby Arab village of Awarta. So naturally, they clamped a curfew on it. And yet again, caught in the middle of the conflict were a group of ‘international activists’ from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), (and see also here) the folks who specialize in being human shields for the peace-loving cadres of Hamas and Fatah.

In the breathless prose that characterizes these self-important idiots, they describe their predicament (h/t: Israel Medad):

Today the village of Awarta, near Nablus, is facing the second day of a severe curfew imposed by the Israeli military, following Friday morning’s murder of a settler family in the settlement Itamar. Three ISM activists–Cinda, 23, Chad, 25, from Sweden, and Cissy, 53, from Norway–are currently trapped in the village. Anyone caught stepping outside of their house is arrested. Soldiers have said that they’ll maintain the curfew until they’ve apprehended the settler family’s murderer. The army hasn’t presented any evidence that the murderer was from Awarta, and villagers have said to the ISM that they strongly doubt the murderer was even Palestinian as the settlement is so heavily guarded it would be impossible to break in. 

Soldiers are beating people and continuing their house raids: destroying houses from the inside, cutting off electricity, and polluting the drinking water by throwing mud in the water-tanks. 30 homes were occupied by soldiers last night. Computers and phones have been destroyed and money and property were stolen by the soldiers. In the last two days soldiers have been throwing sound grenades inside and outside the houses, and shooting in the air. The ISM activists may be arrested soon, but they intend to stay as long as possible because they feel their presence improves the behavior of the soldiers, and villagers have asked them to stay.

Palestinian sources have suggested that possibly the murderers were crazed foreign workers from Thailand. Because a Palestinian Arab would never, ever, do anything like that.

After all, how would Palestinian society look at them?

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*Legal note: this is not a threat, merely a description of the feelings evoked by this remarkable dickhead.

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