Israel warns UN Iran is using civilian airlines to arm Hezbollah

Israel warned that Iran is smuggling weapons to Hezbollah on commercial flights – proof that the Islamic Republic is continuing to sponsor global terror, even after signing the nuclear deal.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon warned the Security Council that Iran is utilizing civilian airlines to transport weapons to the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon and revealed newly released intelligence reports which serve as clear proof of Iran’s illicit terror-supporting actions.

In a letter to the UNSC, Danon wrote it was Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) that was responsible for the smuggling, and outlined how they were doing it.

“Iran is using airlines such as ‘Mahan Air’, to supply Hezbollah with the capacity to enhance its missile arsenal. The arms and related materials are packed in suitcases by the Quds Force in Iran and transferred directly to Hezbollah operatives,” he wrote.

The arms are either flown by “commercial flights to Beirut,” or flown to “Damascus and then transferred by land,” to Hezbollah, Danon added.

Danon charged that Iran’s actions are “in blatant violation of numerous Security Council resolutions,” including resolutions 2231 and 1701.

Resolution 2231 endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement while putting in place additional restrictions on Iran, while resolution 1701 put in place the ceasefire ending the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah.

In July, Danon warned the UNSC that Hezbollah, using Iranian-made weapons, had turned Lebanon into “terror stronghold.”

Danon pointed out that Hezbollah was in possession of roughly 7,000 rockets in 2006, and the Lebanese terror group now has more than 120,000 missiles aimed at Israeli cities, hidden behind human shields in the towns they control.

The State Department’s annual report on global terrorist activity, which was released in June, confirmed that Iran “remains the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015.”

Iran had provided “a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world,” the report said. It went on to highlight the Iranian regime’s support for Hezbollah, Palestinian groups such as Hamas, and the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News