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Patriot Games
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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/5/22/112815.shtml?s=os
Iran, Syria Aiding and Arming Hezbollah
Stewart Stogel Tuesday, May 22, 2007
NEW YORK -- Hezbollah terrorists are receiving new weapons from Iran in
violation of a 2006 United Nations Security Council cease-fire agreement,
according to Israel's U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman.
"There have been major violations [of the cease-fire]," Gillerman said
during a speech Monday in New York City. "They [Hezbollah] have been fully
re-armed, they have received thousands of new rockets from Iran."
Addressing a lunch hosted by the non-profit Israel Project at The
Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, the veteran Israeli diplomat said Jerusalem was
watching the situation "closely" and might elect to "respond" if the Iranian
aid was not halted.
Israel's brief invasion of southern Lebanon last summer began when two
Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah at the Lebanon-Israel border in
mid-July.
The two Israel Defense Force (IDF) conscripts, Eldad Regev and Ehud
Goldwasser, who were supposed to be "unconditionally" released by the
terrorist group more than nine months ago, still remain in custody,
Gillerman said.
"We think of them every day, but we don't know if they are alive or dead,"
he lamented.
That remains one of several "serious" violations of the cease-fire, it was
explained.
Another provision of last September's cease-fire was that no new arms were
to be introduced into the region.
The cease-fire, brokered and endorsed by the U.N. Security Council,
introduced a multinational peacekeeping force into southern Lebanon,
spearheaded by Italian and French troops. Gillerman stopped short of
accusing the U.N. forces of turning their backs on the alleged arms
smuggling.
The Israeli pointed out that U.N. blue helmets have had their hands full,
launching more than "300 sorties" daily to interdict cease-fire violations.
Gillerman insisted that Iran's violations were "blatant" and that the
Islamic republic posed the single greatest threat to the region's peace and
security: "It [the Iranian aid] has been very significant," Gillerman said.
"Thousands of rockets, long-range missiles, and hundreds of millions of
dollars are being channeled from Iran directly to Hezbollah, their proxies,
their hired killers in Lebanon."
The ambassador charged that the Hezbollah chief sheik, Hassan Nasrallah,
publicly boasted about his forces "possession" of the new rockets, similar
to the ones that terrorized the northern Israeli port of Haifa for more than
a month last summer.
He also stated that the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad bore
responsibility for the Iranian violations by "turning their backs" and
allowing Tehran to move the illegal arms over its territory unchallenged.
The Israeli diplomat refused to answer questions as to whether the Iranian
arms smuggling came up in meetings between U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and her Syrian counterpart when they met in Egypt earlier
this month.
The arms controversy is also expected to be used by the Bush administration
to increase pressure on Tehran and its plans for nuclear development.
Later this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to
issue an "update" to the U.N. Security Council on Iran's continued refusal
to "suspend" its enrichment of uranium ore.
Iran says the enrichment is for "peaceful" purposes; Washington charges it
is to build a secret atomic bomb.
If the IAEA concludes Iran is still flaunting Council demands to halt its
enrichment, the White House will move to pressure the United Nations to
impose additional economic sanctions to those already levied earlier this
year.
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif recently confessed that new sanctions on
his country were a "foregone conclusion," claiming "it is no secret."
The new Israeli allegations come as internal Palestinian clashes increased
in Gaza and in a major refugee camp near the Lebanese port of Tripoli late
Monday evening.
Iran, Syria Aiding and Arming Hezbollah
Stewart Stogel Tuesday, May 22, 2007
NEW YORK -- Hezbollah terrorists are receiving new weapons from Iran in
violation of a 2006 United Nations Security Council cease-fire agreement,
according to Israel's U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman.
"There have been major violations [of the cease-fire]," Gillerman said
during a speech Monday in New York City. "They [Hezbollah] have been fully
re-armed, they have received thousands of new rockets from Iran."
Addressing a lunch hosted by the non-profit Israel Project at The
Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, the veteran Israeli diplomat said Jerusalem was
watching the situation "closely" and might elect to "respond" if the Iranian
aid was not halted.
Israel's brief invasion of southern Lebanon last summer began when two
Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah at the Lebanon-Israel border in
mid-July.
The two Israel Defense Force (IDF) conscripts, Eldad Regev and Ehud
Goldwasser, who were supposed to be "unconditionally" released by the
terrorist group more than nine months ago, still remain in custody,
Gillerman said.
"We think of them every day, but we don't know if they are alive or dead,"
he lamented.
That remains one of several "serious" violations of the cease-fire, it was
explained.
Another provision of last September's cease-fire was that no new arms were
to be introduced into the region.
The cease-fire, brokered and endorsed by the U.N. Security Council,
introduced a multinational peacekeeping force into southern Lebanon,
spearheaded by Italian and French troops. Gillerman stopped short of
accusing the U.N. forces of turning their backs on the alleged arms
smuggling.
The Israeli pointed out that U.N. blue helmets have had their hands full,
launching more than "300 sorties" daily to interdict cease-fire violations.
Gillerman insisted that Iran's violations were "blatant" and that the
Islamic republic posed the single greatest threat to the region's peace and
security: "It [the Iranian aid] has been very significant," Gillerman said.
"Thousands of rockets, long-range missiles, and hundreds of millions of
dollars are being channeled from Iran directly to Hezbollah, their proxies,
their hired killers in Lebanon."
The ambassador charged that the Hezbollah chief sheik, Hassan Nasrallah,
publicly boasted about his forces "possession" of the new rockets, similar
to the ones that terrorized the northern Israeli port of Haifa for more than
a month last summer.
He also stated that the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad bore
responsibility for the Iranian violations by "turning their backs" and
allowing Tehran to move the illegal arms over its territory unchallenged.
The Israeli diplomat refused to answer questions as to whether the Iranian
arms smuggling came up in meetings between U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and her Syrian counterpart when they met in Egypt earlier
this month.
The arms controversy is also expected to be used by the Bush administration
to increase pressure on Tehran and its plans for nuclear development.
Later this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to
issue an "update" to the U.N. Security Council on Iran's continued refusal
to "suspend" its enrichment of uranium ore.
Iran says the enrichment is for "peaceful" purposes; Washington charges it
is to build a secret atomic bomb.
If the IAEA concludes Iran is still flaunting Council demands to halt its
enrichment, the White House will move to pressure the United Nations to
impose additional economic sanctions to those already levied earlier this
year.
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif recently confessed that new sanctions on
his country were a "foregone conclusion," claiming "it is no secret."
The new Israeli allegations come as internal Palestinian clashes increased
in Gaza and in a major refugee camp near the Lebanese port of Tripoli late
Monday evening.
