Fears of Iran Exploiting the Syrian Earthquake… and sending weapons to Hezbollah under the cover of international aid

As the world seeks to send aid to Syria and Turkey after a devastating earthquake killed thousands, Hezbollah is preparing to receive arms shipments from Iran, including aid to Syrians.

There are fears that Iran could exploit the tragic situation in Syria after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey, the Syrian opposition-controlled areas in the north, and a number of areas under the control of the Syrian regime to send weapons to Hezbollah under the guise of international aid.

Crisis utilization

The Lebanese Hezbollah seeks to exploit crises and to strengthen its main engine, which is Iran. With the approaching Lebanese elections, Hezbollah must be a main player during which it must raise money and weapons.

Fox News reported that the current crisis is worrying officials who fear that Tehran may be sending Hezbollah weapons and equipment using international aid, and said it has not been able to independently verify whether Iran has taken steps to transfer weapons to Syria under the guise of aid.

“As social media users circulate a video on Twitter, the public shows “Iran-backed militias in Iraq” traveling in a convoy to deliver “aid to the victims of the earthquake in Syria,” and other shots of the leader of the Quds Force, Ismael Qaani, who is said to have been seen in the city of Latakia in western Syria “to monitor the delivery of aid to the earthquake victims

Nature of aid

“A rise in goods and aid would naturally give Iran the opportunity to smuggle weapons into Syria”, said political analyst Ali Afshar.

He added that there is no other option but to increase assistance in light of the great catastrophe of the earthquake, and as for Israeli fears, Israel should rely on its intelligence services to monitor and attack Iranian weapons.

Afshari confirmed that several Iranian cargo planes carrying aid have landed in Syria since the earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on Monday.

Lebanese Hezbollah has been engaged in coordination with Iran throughout the Middle East since its establishment in 1982, helping it to strengthen its influence throughout the region, and the group’s relationship with Iran is one of the most important and destabilizing extremist ties in the Middle East, he added.