New Fear Iran Could Supply Hamas In Gaza

There is new concern that Iran may be trying to get arms and ammunition to Hamas. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin learned exclusively that on Monday an American Navy ship intercepted an Iranian-chartered ship in the Red Sea.

It found artillery shells on board.

The U.S. Navy has now asked Egypt to force the Iranians to pull into port for a more thorough inspection before being allowed to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, CBS News reports.

The fear is that those artillery shells will be smuggled into Gaza.

Israel withdrew the last of its troops from the Gaza Strip before dawn Wednesday, the military said, and pursued diplomatic efforts to stanch the flow of arms into the Hamas-ruled territory.

CBS News correspondent Robert Berger reports the timing of the pullout reflected the Israeli's desire to avoid presenting Barack Obama with a full-blown Mideast crisis on his first day in office, and their fear that he may not be as firm a backer as his predecessor.

The military said troops remain massed on the Israeli side of the border, prepared to take action in the event of renewed militant fire. Israeli navy ships shot rounds of machine-gun fire at the beaches of northern Gaza.

The military had no immediate comment on the gunboat fire.

CBS News correspondent Richard Roth reports there has also been an interesting sign of Israel's caution - or concern - about possible war crimes charges that might be levelled in connection with Operation Cast Lead, the offensive in Gaza.

Israeli and foreign press (including CBS News) were invited Tuesday to interview commanders from several brigades that fought in the operation. Then, before reports on the interviews could be broadcast or printed, the Military Censor's Office instructed the media to blur the faces of interviewees, remove references to names, and not provide any information which might facilitate their identification. The concern, it seems, is that commanders could be at risk if and when lawsuits are filed at the International Court of Justice.

Roth says that, in a visit with officers Tuesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly promised, "the government will stand like a fortified wall to protect each and every one of you from allegations." An accusation against the military, he suggested, would be "directed against us: for seven years the world was against rocket fire from Israel, but didn't lift a finger."

Israel sent thousands of ground troops into the Palestinian territory earlier this month as part of a bruising offensive meant to permanently halt years of militant rocket fire on growing numbers of Israelis and to halt the smuggling of arms into Gaza.

Some 1,300 Palestinians were killed, more than half of them civilians, Gaza health officials and the U.N. have reported, a death toll that has provoked international outrage. In Israel, however, the war was popular because it was seen as a legitimate response to militants who now have one-eighth of the population within rocket range.

However, CBS News correspondent Robert Berger wrote Tuesday in the World Watch blog that the end of bombing in Gaza and the advent of new leadership in Washington have both left many Israelis wondering what will happen next - bringing questions more than a resolute feeling of victory.

On the Palestinian's side, CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey says most Gazans see little reason to rejoice in the inauguration of a new leader in America. They are still shell-shocked after the three-week bombing campaign, and where there is hope, it is,

Both sides declared cease-fires that went into effect Sunday, though they remain shaky. Israel reported mortar shelling from Gaza on Tuesday, and the Palestinians say Israeli troops shot and killed two Gaza farmers along the border since the truce took hold.

Berger reports that now the fighting has stopped, Israel is fighting a diplomatic battle to try and ensure Hamas will not be able to rearm.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was in Brussels, seeking commitments from allies to help halt the smuggling of arms to into Gaza. Israel wants the European Union to contribute forces, ships and technology for anti-smuggling operations.

The U.S. has also offered help but the key country, reports Berger, is Egypt. Until now, Israel's (and Gaza's) neighbor to the south has failed to curb weapons smuggling from its territory into the Palestinian territory.

Last week, the U.S. signed an anti-smuggling deal with Israel calling for expanded intelligence cooperation between the two countries and other U.S. allies in the Middle East and Europe.

The U.S. promised to supply detection and surveillance equipment, as well as logistical help and training to Israel, Egypt and other nations in the region. The equipment and training would be used to monitor Gaza's land and sea borders.

The document also calls for the U.S. to expand work with its NATO partners, particularly in the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and eastern Africa.

At the signing ceremony in Washington, Livni described the deal as "a vital complement for a cessation of hostility" in the troubled region. Shortly after, she said she hoped European countries, notably Britain, France and Germany, would work out similar agreements with the Israelis.

Although signed by the Bush administration on its last working day, the agreement is binding on the Obama administration.