Iran’s smuggling network to Gaza has shrunk since Israel’s winter military incursion, Operation Cast Lead, Haaretz reports. When Jerusalem launched the operation in response to thousands of Hamas rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel, the army destroyed some 80 percent of the tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border.
For years, Iran transferred tons of deadly ordnance to Gaza terrorist groups through these subterranean smuggling routes. This includes RPG rockets and launchers, explosives, rifles, and ammunition.
Despite criticisms of an Israeli failure to destroy the Hamas organization, Cast Lead may have directly contributed to the current calm in Israel’s south. However, Israeli Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin warns that Iran will continue working to re-arm Hamas. Iranian media reports the group could reach its pre-incursion capacity in a matter of months.
