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Israel: Iranian Experts Operating in Gaza

(AP) Josef Federman - Hamas looks "much like an army," thanks in part to direct assistance from Iranian and Hizbullah agents operating in Gaza, a senior Israeli military official said Wednesday. The official said Hamas now has a "vast amount" of anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets, a "very big arsenal" of rockets that can strike deep inside Israel and a sophisticated communications system. He says Hamas could not develop this expertise without foreign help. He said Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hizbullah, frequently send in experts to train Hamas forces, crossing through tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border that are also used to smuggle in weapons. Some foreign experts are even stationed in Gaza, he said. "We have spotted them," he said. "We know the people. We have names." He notes Hamas' newfound expertise in making roadside bombs planted along Gaza's border with Israel and its recent use of a sophisticated Kornet anti-tank rocket. On Thursday, Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, charged that arms smuggling through the tunnels into Gaza has increased in the past two months in parallel with the political upheaval in the Arab world. He accused Gaza militants of "trying to take advantage of the uncertainties in the region to boost their capabilities to attack Israeli cities and Israeli citizens."
2011-03-11 00:00:00
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