Israel Matzav

UN report: Syria-Lebanon border 'wide open' to 'smugglers'

Lebanon's eastern border with Syria is 'wide open' to smugglers according to a report submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon by a task force he appointed a year ago to study the issue. The report says that there has been no improvement in the situation over the last year despite promises from both countries to address the issue. It goes without saying that this violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006. But it's even worse.

In addition, Hezbollah has built a network of sophisticated underground bunkers in some 150 villages throughout south Lebanon in recent months. These bunkers can hold up to 15 fighters, plus rockets and rocket launchers, and in the event of war with Israel, could serve either as missile-launching bases or as ambushes for Israeli ground troops. Neither the UN forces in Lebanon nor the Lebanese Army has done anything to stop construction of these bunkers.

Additionally, Lebanese blogger Across the Bay reports that Syria may be seeking to buy Russian weapons in order to transfer them to Hezbullah.

[T]he Syrians wanted three types of missile systems in particular: the S-300 surface-to-air missile system with a 200 km range, the Igla (SA-18) MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems) with a range of 5-8 km, and the Iskander-E missile system (range of 280 km).

The Israelis interfered with Putin in 2005 to stop the sale of these systems in particular. While Russia did indeed refrain from selling the S-300 and the Iskander, they ended up selling the Syrians the Strelets missile system, which consisted of vehicle-mounted Iglas, but did not include the man-portable platform, over the protests of the US and Israel.

The Syrians had already passed along to Hezbollah anti-tank systems and rockets from their own stockpiles, such as the RPG-29 and the AT- 14 Kornet-E and AT-13 Metis-M. Photographs were delivered to Russia as evidence that weapons exported by Moscow to Syria ended up with Hezbollah.

As such, the concerns that the Syrians would pass man-portable (or even vehicle-mounted) anti-aircraft systems, such as the shoulder-fired Igla, remain valid. That Syria is still seeking these systems only highlights the likely intent to pass them along to Hezbollah.

Indeed, Corriere della Sera reports today that a Hezbollah delegation, traveling with Iranian papers and cover, visited the "Expo 2008" arms expo in Russia, between July 9 and 12, looking for anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems.

It's unclear whether a deal was reached to purchase anything, or whether the Hezbollah delegation was compiling a list to be bankrolled by Iran and delivered through Syria, as has been the case.

And at this point, if the Russians decide to sell, Israel will be in no position to stop it unless we are willing to attack the Lebanese-Syrian border as we did in the summer of 2006 - in other words to start a new war.

But 1701 was a great resolution, wasn't it Tzipora?

For those who don't recognize them, the picture at top left is the Hezbullah and UN flags flying side by side.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:17 AM