Iran Allegedly Smuggles Weapons through Port of Antwerp for Hezbollah: Israeli Sources

Michael Freilich — © BELGA

Iran is said to have transported bombs and missiles intended for the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah via the port of Antwerp. This is stated in the British newspaper The Telegraph. The weapons would be used against Israel.

According to The Telegraph, Iran allegedly smuggled weapons through Iraq to Hezbollah so that the Lebanese group could use them against Israel. But the Israeli air force has bombarded those convoys, causing Iran to switch to arms deliveries via ships. According to an anonymous Israeli source quoted in the British newspaper, weapons and other goods would now be shipped via the port of Latakia in Syria to the ports of Ravenna in Italy, Valencia in Spain and to the port of Antwerp.

“It’s easy to camouflage that in major European ports, because things have to happen very quickly there. In smaller ports there is stricter supervision,” a senior Israeli source told the British newspaper.

The port of Antwerp says it has no jurisdiction in this case. “As a port, we do not determine which goods may and may not pass through. That is something for the federal and European level,” says Lennart Verstappen, spokesperson for the port of Antwerp-Bruges. “We also do not know which goods are in containers and other means of transport.”

MP Michael Freilich (N-VA) will ask a written question about the case next week to Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib (MR). “I want to know, among other things, whether she was informed about that development, whether our intelligence services were informed about it and what measures are planned against it,” says Freilich. The minister would address those questions next week. (cwil)

2024-03-15 18:51:38


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