Iran reportedly admits helping Gaza militants produce long-range missiles

Police officers and fire brigade inspect a car damaged by shrapnel from a Fajr missile fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip that was intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system over the central Israeli city of Holon, Nov. 18, 2012. / AP

TEHRAN, Iran Iran has supplied Hamas in Gaza with the technology to "quickly" produce longer-range missiles on their own without needing direct shipments, said a report Wednesday that quoted the head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.

The comments by Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari offer some of the clearest insights on Iran's weapons support for Hamas, whose Iranian-engineered Fajr-5 missiles have struck near Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during weeklong battles with Israel.

"Gaza is under siege, so we cannot help them. The Fajr-5 missiles have not been shipped from Iran. Its technology has been transferred and (the missiles are) being produced quickly," Jafari was quoted as saying by the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

• Bloodiest 24 hours yet in Gaza
• Bomb rocks Tel Aviv bus amid Gaza truce efforts
• Complete coverage: Crisis in Gaza

Iran has repeatedly denied it directly supplied Hamas with the Fajr-5. The ISNA report gave no further details on the level of missile know-how sent to Gaza or the channels used.

Israel charges that Iran sends weapons, including rockets, to Gaza through a network of smuggling tunnels under the 9-mile border between Gaza and Egypt.

75 Photos

Israel, Palestinians in deadly clashes

Iran also backs the anti-Israel faction Hezbollah in Lebanon, which fired thousands of rockets into Israel during a month long 2006 war.

Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, meanwhile, said his country was "honored" that Iran could help Palestinians with "material and military aspects." He did not elaborate.

He criticized Arab countries for failing to help arm Hamas and other Palestinian group. "The Palestinian nation does not need speeches and meetings. Arab countries should send military aid," he was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei also chided other Muslim nations for not rallying behind Gaza in the latest showdown with Israel.

"Some of them sufficed with words, and some others did not condemn" Israel, Khamenei said, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza over the past week in an operation it says is meant to stop daily rocket salvos by Gaza militants at Israel.

Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, and the two nations are locked in a deepening dispute over Iran's nuclear program. The West and others fear Iran could eventually produce nuclear weapons, and Israel has left open the option of staging a military strike at its nuclear facilities.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes such as power generation and cancer treatment.

[robertsgt40]

And if you believe this crock, I have a bridge to sell you.

[MALL727net]

Could this be a prelude to World War III? The very fact whether Iran is supplying long-range missiles or the technology can imply that Iran is testing its weapons capability to launch a full scale attack on Israel. The Iranian government may be using the civilian Palestinians in the Gaza strip as a cover for its real intentions - that is the ultimate destruction of Israel. Hamas hatred towards Jews makes it a perfect cover for Iran using Hamas terrorists do its dirty work for them, deflecting world attention away from Iran to allow it to finish and launch its nuclear weapons technology. Things may get very hot on December 21st - not so much as a mystic date but as a political date to fire its nuclear arsenal into Israel - and later triggering a world wide conflict as one nation aligns with allied nations against others. End result, Hamas and civilians of the Gaza strip will be used as decoys by the Iranians. Peaceful intentions of nuclear technology - not likely.

[TimeToEvolve]

We let Israel and our oil corporations dictate our foreign policy (maybe they are the same thing). We should not be involved over there.

And Iran is clearly on the right side over this one.

[lavonneann-2009]

... and who supplies Israel? Or helps and paid for the Iron Shield?
Why is Iran evil for supplying information?
The rockets from Gaza started because Israel killed a soccer playing child. Is that terrorism?
Lets keep our noses clean and not try to cast fault.
Stop the blockade of Gaza!

[Rafterman11]

Israel tries to not hit civilians in its strikes. Hamas randomly fires missiles like WWII V-1's, hoping to hit civilians. That's the difference.

I'm not saying Israel is perfect or, at times, isn't being overly aggressive in its foreign policy. The plight of the Palestinians, some of it at the hands of Israel, is harsh. But in this case, Israel is rightfully defending themselves.

People pick on Israel because they see a stronger bully attacking a much weaker foe. But even a much weaker foe deserves a beatdown if they try to sucker punch you first.

[MichaelRivero]

There is a full-court press to try to use the hostilities in Israel and Gaza (started on November 8th when an Israeli soldier in a helicopter gunned down a Palestinian child playing soccer; an act calculated to provoke a response) to justify an attack on Iran. This is just more of the same. There are no missiles being sent from Iran to Gaza. None could get through Israel's blockade and Iran is not stupid enough to send identifiable weapons to Gaza. So the new spin is that Iran "reportedly" (note that this means it is an unfounded rumor) transferred technology.

[NJ58x]

Get a life Rivero

[tsigili]

Iran is letting the rest of Islam, do its dirty work for them, in attacking Israel.

I suspect that will result in reprisals, and they will become a part of the conflict.

[joesapper]

and this is news ? May I say that perhaps he is refering to something out of Syria instead ?

[signseeker1717]

Yes, this IS news, because, as suspected by Israeli intelligence, this is a confirmation that IRAN is the source of the long range rockets being launched by Hamas from Gaza into Israel. Israel has been returning fire, dozens of people have been killed, and diplomats from multiple countries are converging on the region to try to negotiate a cease fire. At the moment, at least, this story has NOTHING to do with SYRIA.