By Pishtaz | 2023-10-27

Iran and its allies were smuggling weapons into the West Bank in an effort to bolster Palestinian military capabilities long before Hamas militants launched a surprise assault inside Israel from the Gaza strip on October 7, according to regional security officials and intelligence analysts.

"Through a network of loyal militias, Tehran has established a land corridor across Iraq and Syria into Lebanon and, via Jordan, into the West Bank, allowing it to transport troops, equipment and weapons to its allies in the Levant," the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Wednesday (October 25).

These networks of smugglers, assisted by the Syrian government and Iranian-backed militias like Lebanon's Hizbullah, are growing, according to a senior Jordanian security official.

The bulk of the smuggled Iranian weapons have been going to the West Bank, particularly to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, the official said.

Weapons smuggled into Jordan include Iranian-made antipersonnel mines, M4-style assault rifles, TNT and other explosives, and handguns, the official said.

Smuggling routes

The arms are hidden in trucks that traverse hundreds of miles and cross at least four national borders, the newspaper reported. The trucks cross the border through official border crossings or via porous borders along vast desert expanses.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) are also used to bring in weapons; in February, Jordanian agents caught the first drone from Syria carrying four hand grenades.

Commercial drones purchased online are relatively inexpensive, easy to operate and difficult to detect. They can also carry two assault rifles, according to another Jordanian security official responsible for monitoring the Syrian border.

Secret airline flights are another route used to smuggle weapons.

Iran took advantage of the need for aid following the devastating earthquake that hit southeastern Türkiye and Syria in early February.

Following the 7.8-magnitude quake, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani visited Aleppo, Syria, ostensibly to supervise aid deliveries.

Qaani flew to Syria on an aircraft owned by Mahan Air, which is subject to US sanctions for flying militants and weapons from Iran to Syria.

"Soon after Qaani's visit, the airline, under the guise of delivering aid, began hauling large quantities of weapons to Syria, according to a [US] Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative in the region, a Syrian government adviser and a European security official," the WSJ reported.

The Israeli army last year reported a "significant rise" in detected attempts to smuggle weapons and drugs into Israel from Jordan and Egypt.

Terrorgence Global, a private intelligence company with ties to Israeli police and intelligence agencies, raised the alarm again just days before Hamas's assault.

"In recent months, Israel has observed a notable upswing in the smuggling of standard weapons," it said October 4.

Israeli border forces have confiscated antipersonnel mines manufactured in Iran and Russia coming from smuggling routes via Jordan and involving Lebanese Hizbullah, it added.

Hamas also has a tunnel network linking Gaza to Egypt, which is used to smuggle both commercial goods and weapons, NBC News reported.

Some of the tunnels are 18 meters below ground.

'A huge burden'

The smuggling operation threatens to raise the specter of the current war between Israel and Hamas, and poses a growing threat to the region -- particularly Jordan, the WSJ reported.

"Iran wants to turn Jordan into a transit area for weapons going into Israel," said Amer al-Sabaileh, founder of Security Languages, a counterterrorism think tank in Amman. "But my fear is that the weapons might be used in Jordan as well."

Regional allies are working to thwart the trafficking operations.

The task is particularly challenging -- and a top priority -- for Jordan.

The Kingdom's long border with Syria is largely unguarded on the Syrian side because of lack of cooperation with the Bashar al-Assad government, and its border with Israel is not protected by adequate fencing. Jordan also shares a border with the West Bank.

Jordanian forces have made nine weapon seizures on the border so far this year, compared to seven in 2022 and 21 in 2021, according to the senior Jordanian security official.

"Jordan is playing a pivotal role in preventing smuggling of narcotics and weapons," said Mohammad Afeef, a former president of Jordan's State Security Court. "It is a huge burden for us."

Israeli police thwarted at least 35 smuggling attempts from Jordan between March 2021 and April 2023, seizing more than 800 weapons, according to the Washington Institute think tank.

In July, Israeli forces carried out a large assault on the West Bank, targeting militant facilities and weapon depots in Jenin that belonged to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

The operation netted about 1,000 weapons and hundreds of explosive devices. Israeli forces also dismantled six bomb-making facilities.

"The Iranians are investing lots of efforts in inflaming all arenas, in the north and the West Bank alike," a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. "The IDF is reinforcing the troops and ready for every possibility."