Iran uses European ports to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah
Kyiv • UNN
Iran has used European ports in Belgium, Spain, and Italy to smuggle weapons, including missiles and bombs, to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria to avoid Israeli air strikes on Iranian weapons shipments.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Iran used European ports to "legitimize" its arms exports to Hezbollah, UNN reports.
Details
The report states that Hezbollah received weapons, including rockets and bombs used against Israel, from ships docked in Belgium, Spain, and Italy.
Antwerp, Valencia, and Ravenna were named as the main European ports; ships docked here before arriving in Latakia in Northern Syria and then heading to Southern Lebanon.
This attempted weapons laundering was carried out because of Israeli military pressure in the form of airstrikes on Iranian assets in Syria and Lebanon, senior intelligence sources told The Telegraph
Ronen Solomon, an independent intelligence analyst based in Israel, told The Telegraph that the use of alternative trade routes through Europe was intended to "legitimize" Iranian arms shipments while "diverting attention" from direct deliveries.
