In recent weeks, Israel has been sending warning messages to Iran through several European countries that have diplomatic relations with the Tehran regime, according to which it will view the establishment of weapons factories for Hizbullah on Lebanese soil. European diplomats familiar with the contents of the messages, but asked to remain anonymous, said that Israel had made it clear that it would not tolerate the establishment of Iranian arms factories in Lebanon.
A senior Israeli official confirmed the remarks, saying that Israel had made it clear to many Western countries that the support of the Tehran regime for Hezbollah was the central issue in which the international community should deal with the Iranian context. The senior official added that Israel believes that the establishment of Iranian arms Factories in Lebanon is liable to undermine its stability seriously. “The government in Lebanon can not influence this issue, and therefore the address for dealing with this matter lies with other elements that control the issue.”
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Last week, the head of Military Intelligence, Major-General Hartzi Halevy, confirmed that Iran was helping Hezbollah build an arms Factories in Lebanon.
In March, Al-Jareeda, a newspaper in Kuwait, reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had set up several weapons factories in Lebanon for Hezbollah. According to the report, the Lebanese organization operates and runs the plants itself in the past three months. The Kuwaiti newspaper, which once served as a conduit for the publication of information originating in Israel, quoted an Iranian security source as saying that the factories could produce various types of missiles, including those with a range of more than 500 kilometers, sea-to-sea missiles, anti-tank missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles Explosives. According to the report, some of the weapons were tested in the Syrian civil war and were successful.
According to the report, Iranian activity is a response to the bombings attributed to Israel of arms convoys destined for Hezbollah in Syria and a weapons manufacturing plant for Hezbollah in Sudan. Instead of transferring conventional weapons to Lebanon, the Iranians have established several factories capable of producing various components of rockets and arms. The facilities built underground (according to the Kuwaiti newspaper, more than 50 meters deep), and they do not manufacture the weapons in their entirety but in parts, to avoid an Israeli attack on the production of the advanced weapons.
Major General Halevy confirmed the publication in the Kuwaiti newspaper in a speech at the Herzliya Conference on Thursday. He said that Hezbollah was building a military industry in Lebanon through knowledge from Iran and was transferring weapons to the south of the country. “In the past year, Iran has been working to establish a self-production infrastructure for precision weapons both in Lebanon and in Yemen,” said Halevi. “We can not remain indifferent to this, and we do not.”
A senior Israeli official noted that in recent months Israel has been increasing its diplomatic activity, both in quiet channels and in the media, regarding Hezbollah activities in Lebanon. He said that Israel is working mainly with UN Security Council member states and is responsible for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559, which deal with the situation in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah activities and the disarmament of militias in Lebanon.
Military Intelligence chief Hartzay Halevy visited New York a few weeks ago and briefed the ambassadors of the Security Council member states on Iranian weapons projects for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s military activity in southern Lebanon under cover of a nature conservation organization.
Last week, Israeli ambassadors to the UN Security Council countries were invited to submit formal protests because of Hezbollah’s activity in the south of the country. Also, the UN delegation sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, detailing Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon, and the fact that UNIFIL is not doing enough to stop this activity, or at least report it.
