Israel Matzav

Syria massacres Kurds using Israeli-made Turkish drones?

As those of you who have been reading for a while already know, I don't like to use DEBKA as a sole source for a story, because they exaggerate from time to time. But at least part of this story is something that many people have warned about in the past (western technology finding its way into Syrian hands via Turkey), so it seems credible. DEBKA is reporting that the Syrians have massacred 'hundreds' of Kurds using Israeli-made Heron spy drones (pictured) obtained from Turkey. There's also a Hezbullah angle and an Iranian angle to this story.

The Syrian campaign is backed by Heron (Eitan) spy drones Israel sold Turkey, made accessible on the personal say-so of Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan. Turkey therefore becomes the first NATO member to make advanced Western military technology available for the use of a strong ally of radical Iran and an active sponsor of terrorists. Following intense exchanges between Jerusalem and Washington, the NATO command was urged to put Ankara on the carpet - with no response as yet.

The drones are being used to track Kurds in flight across Syria's borders, mainly into Lebanon, where Hizballah is helping Syria hunt the refugees down. The accessibility to Damascus of the unmanned aerial vehicles is in direct breach of the Israel-Turkish sales contracts which barred their use - and the use of other Israeli high-tech items sold to Turkey during years of close military collaboration - in the service of hostile states or entities.

Extending their sphere to Syrian and Lebanese skies gives the Syrian army and Hizballah (Iran's external arm) a unique opportunity to study the Heron (Eitan)'s sophisticated attributes in real combat conditions at close hand and adjust their own tactics accordingly to outwit them.

debkafile's intelligence sources have no doubt that Iranian intelligence officers stationed in Damascus and Beirut jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the Israeli wonder-drones.

Read the whole thing.

There's something to this story. Part of it related to a clash in South Beirut between Kurdish fighters and Hezbullah. Turkey's Daily Hurriyet covered that story.

Reported clashes in Lebanon between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and Hezbollah and Shiite Amal militants remain shrouded in mystery due to a lack of clarity about why, when and if the conflict occurred.

At least one PKK militant was killed and six others were wounded in the clashes, the Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday, saying that the conflict was provoked by allegations of racketeering.

That explanation seemed suspect to Middle East expert Faik Bulut. “Even if there had been [a clash], it would have been over something with political weight,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “There are almost no Kurds living under the wings of Hezbollah in that region. There might be a few Kurdish tradesmen in Shiite villages.”

The clash between members of the Amal Movement and the PKK was reportedly sparked when PKK militants demanded protection money from tradesmen and residents in Beirut’s Al-Naba’a neighborhood, which is densely populated by Amal Movement members, the Anatolia news agency said, without supplying the exact time of the incident. According to the agency, the fight expanded as Hezbollah members coming out of a mosque joined the fray in support of the Amal side.

Lebanese security forces brought the armed clash, which lasted until late into the night, under control as morning approached. Alleged PKK member Abdulmanaem Al Haj Reşid, 37, was killed with a gun used by Hezbollah members.

But of far more concern to Israel is the use of the Heron by Syria under the watchful eyes of Hezbullah and Iran. Did Turkey get the full Heron version with all the 'extras'? What will Hezbullah and Iran (and for that matter Syria) learn from the Heron that would allow them to defeat it when it is used against them by Israel?

On Friday, JPost reported that Turkey is developing its own UAV's to wean itself from dependence on Israel. Maybe it's time for some sabotage and for Israel to cancel the contract with Turkey that it should have canceled months ago?

By the way, the PKK is a designated terror organization in the US. Who says politics has nothing to do with it?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:41 AM