Iran Hides Weapons Among Earthquake Aids to Target US Forces in Syria: Intel Leak Report

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The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing leaked US intelligence, that Iran and its proxies were able to launch attacks on US forces in Syria with weapons shipments hidden in humanitarian aid sent for the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February, killing tens of thousands.

Leaked US intelligence obtained by The Washington Post contains findings that raise pressing questions about the ability of the United States and its allies to intercept Iranian-origin weapons that are routinely used to target US personnel, partner forces, and civilians in the Middle East. The leaked findings also amplify previous reports of Iran’s alleged efforts to hide defensive military equipment in aid shipments to Syria in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

The leaked intelligence contained a US intelligence assessment that Iran’s smuggling of arms to Syria includes small arms, ammunition, and drones. She explained that the smuggled weapons were delivered using car convoys from Iraq that were coordinated by “friendly armed groups” there and the Quds Force – the external arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that provides material support to Shiite militias allied with Iran in the region.

The WordPress report quoted a US defense official as saying that this type of Iranian activity is consistent with previous efforts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “to use humanitarian aid destined for Iraq and Syria as a means to deliver materials to IRGC affiliates.” groups.”

According to leaked US intelligence obtained by the Labor Party, Iran and its affiliates moved quickly in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.

“On February 7th… an Iraq-based militia group allegedly orchestrated the transfer of rifles, ammunition, and 30 [drones] hidden in aid convoys to support future attacks on US forces in Syria, according to leaked intelligence documents cited by the Washington Post report.

It added that, on February 13, an officer in the Quds Force directed a group of Iraqi militias to “place weapons within the legal aid for an earthquake,” while another officer in the Quds Force kept a list of “hundreds” of vehicles and goods that entered Syria from Iraq after the earthquake. , an apparent attempt to manage where all the smuggled weapons are headed.

According to US officials, Iran-aligned groups pose a continuing threat to the nearly 900 US troops working with local forces in Syria to counter the resurgence of the Islamic State extremist group.

In March, an American contractor was killed and another wounded in an attack on a base in Syria carried out by an Iranian-made drone, as confirmed by the Pentagon. The blast also resulted in head injuries to a number of US service members.

But US officials stated that the drone did not enter the country via one of the earthquake aid convoys, without providing additional details. After the contractor’s death, the United States launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias believed to be responsible for the attack, delivering a stark warning from President Biden to Tehran that the United States would respond forcefully to violent attacks on American personnel.

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Read more:

The White House: The United States will not back down from its mission in Syria, despite the deadly attacks

US contractor killed in Syria in drone strike; The United States retaliates

Pro-Iranian forces in Syria warn that they could respond to more US strikes

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