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Israel: US arms left in Afghanistan reach Gaza

June 17, 2023 at 11:06 am

Taliban fighters stand guard next to the weapons on display. [Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images]

US arms left in Afghanistan have been smuggled to the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, Sama News Agency reported on Friday.

The local Palestinian news agency disclosed that Newsweek reported an unnamed senior Israeli military official confirming: “Some of the small weapons seized in Afghanistan had been spotted in the hands of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.”

The Israeli military official raised concerns about the “dangers” of sending advanced US and Western arms, sent to Ukraine, to: “Israel’s enemies in the region, including in Iran.”

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According to Sama News Agency, Washington affirmed it would take “pre-emptive measures” to undermine moving arms to the Middle East.

The Israeli military official said that the paramilitary forces taking part in the Russian-Ukrainian war are monitoring the arms sent to Ukraine, such as the anti-missile system, Javelin.

He claimed that the military groups fighting in Russia are eager to move the arms they seized during the war to Iran due to the strong relations between the two countries, while the groups fighting in Ukraine seek to smuggle weapons for money.

The official described the situation as “very dangerous” because Iran could learn how to manufacture similar weapons, which the Palestinian factions and Hezbollah could obtain.

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