Israel carried out 1,600 operations in 2021 to thwart arms smuggling

The Israeli occupation army claimed on Wednesday that it had carried out 1,600 operations to thwart weapons smuggling on six different fronts in 2021.

Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said: “These operations have helped to hinder and prevent the smuggling of large amounts of weapons from Iran into the region.”

He also said that the Israeli army had been preparing itself for a potential attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israeli Public Broadcaster (Kan) reported.

“Iran’s failure to respond to the airstrikes attributed to Israel at locations that could be used to store weapons indicates an increase in the state’s deterrent power,” he said, noting that Iran has failed to reposition in Syria.

Kochavi said that the Israeli army is planning to continue its operations against Iran in 2022, stressing that Iran would never be able to transfer its weapons through the sea, air or ground.

Regarding Gaza, Kochavi said that much effort was being exerted by different parties to maintain the ceasefire.

Kan pointed out that the Israeli army is planning to allocate a large part of next year’s budget for a “confrontation” with Hamas in order to stop its “hostile” activities, which has recently witnessed a “notable surge in the West Bank.”

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